Chennai, Aug 21 - Defending champion Mukesh Kumar fired a four-under 66 Friday to build up a seven-stroke lead going into the final day of the PGTI-125th Year Madras Gymkhana Club Tamil Nadu Open 2009.

Mukesh (65, 65, 66) now sits pretty on top of the leaderboard with 14-under 196. Digvijay Singh (65, 70, 68) and Vijay Kumar (68, 68, 67) are tied second with matching totals of seven under 203.

Mukesh Kumar consolidated on his overnight two-stroke lead as he made five birdies against one bogey in the third round. He was steady to begin with, making pars on the first six holes. He then made a tricky uphill putt from eight feet on the seventh to produce his first birdie of the day.

Mukesh's accurate second shot on the eighth set up a three feet putt for birdie, which he went on to convert. The professional from Mhow dropped his only bogey of the day on the ninth, where he missed a two-footer for par.

Mukesh holed an amazing 17 feet downhill putt for birdie on the 11th and followed that up with two more birdies on the 14th and 15th. He chipped-in from about 20 feet on the 15th.

'I continued to putt well and that's the reason why I have such a huge lead. I brought all my experience to the fore and did not play a very attacking game since it was much windier today.