Rahm held a two-shot lead after playing the first 16 holes in five under par and enjoyed a major slice of luck on the 17th on Saturday when his second shot was heading out of bounds before hitting a spectator.

However, the world No.6 failed to make the most of his good fortune by pitching to 10 feet and then three-putting for a six and was also just a few feet from driving out of bounds at the last.

After taking a penalty drop another bogey looked on the cards, but Rahm holed from 20 feet for an unlikely par and Willett got up and down from a greenside bunker for a birdie to match his playing partner's 68.

On 15 under par the pair held a three-shot lead over Justin Rose, Shubhankar Sharma and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, with Scotland's Richie Ramsay and Rafa Cabrera Bello two shots further back.

"Man, those last two holes made it feel a lot worse than it really was," Rahm admitted.

"I was really in control of my game and playing good.

"It was not the finish I was looking for, I might have lost a bit of focus, looking into the future instead of staying in the present but it doesn't take away from how solidly I played when the wind was bad and when I still had a fourth shot into the last with a six iron and didn't drop a shot."

Willett recovered from a bogey on the first with the aid of six birdies to remain on track for a seventh European Tour title and a first on home soil.

With bad weather forecast for Sunday, Rory McIlroy had not abandoned hope of a second remarkable victory after a superb 65 which equalled his lowest score at Wentworth and left him nine shots off the lead.

Australian Associated Press