Tura Beach Country Club on the New South Wales South Coast presented a far friendlier test in Round 3 on Thursday, the strong winds and fast greens that saw no player break par easing to allow players to make their move.

Two eagles in a round of 4-under 69 saw Toby Walker make the biggest charge up the leaderboard but it is Bayliss who earned the 54-hole lead with a polished 2-under 71 in Round 3 and 2-under total.

Runner-up to Jack Wright 12 months ago, Bayliss made birdie at each of the five par 5s at Tura Beach and will take a four-shot lead into Friday’s final round.

That buffer would not have been so great if not for a triple-bogey by Porritt at the par-3 17th in his round of 6-over 79.

An Associate at Thurgoona Country Club, Porritt will start the final round at 3-over and five strokes off the lead, Walker now Bayliss’s nearest challenger at 2-over par.

In addition to his two eagles at 11th and 18th holes, Walker had birdies at 13 and 16 to make a late charge up the leaderboard and enter the frame for what should be an enthralling final round.

Bayliss, Walker and Porritt will play together in the final group at 9:24am on Friday morning with reigning champion Jack Wright (70) to play in the third-to-last group with Sheradyn Johnson (74) and Steve Vail (74).

The penultimate group will feature Kane Gollasch (72), Hayden Gulliver (72) and Jordan Rooke (73).

First group will tee off at 7am on Friday with players to again be greeted by sunny skies and similar winds to that which they experienced in Round 3.

Round 3 scoreboard

Round 4 draw