Matthew Stieger has defied wild, wet and windy conditions at the ISPS HANDA Vic Open to record seven birdies and elevate his tournament total to 13-under.

Finishing his third round at 7-under the card, Stieger played in heavy rain before strong winds took over and still remained bogey-free.

“We got hammered with the rain for about three or four holes there, so it was really good to get through that stretch, but no bogeys today, which is really nice,” said Stieger.

“I just stuck to my game plan out there.

“I sort of had to hit away from a few flags because they were tucked a little bit, but made really good use of the ones that I could go at.

“Coming from St. Michael’s, I played a lot of golf in the wind so I actually love these types of conditions.”

Stieger hopes smart play and further results may help him resolve some unfinished business at 13^th Beach Golf Links.

“I’ve got some redemption to do; in 2014 I got beaten in a playoff here, so I will sort of hopefully try to get into a position like that again and see how we go.

“I’m just hoping another day like today tomorrow would be great,” Stieger continued, who produced his best round for the tournament on day three.

England’s Callum Shinkwin has fired 6-under the card for a total of 13-under, allowing him to join the front-runners at the top of the scoreboard.

Shooting his best score for the tournament, South Africa’s Justin Harding also produced a round of 6-under 66 in unfavourable conditions.

Overnight leaders Jason Scrivener and Nick Flanagan start their third round at 14-under the card, one shot ahead of South Australian Wade Ormsby.

Click here to follow the lives scores from the #VicOpen.