Australian golfing great Greg Norman was sensationally disqualified from the BMW Asian Open as Englishman Simon Dyson's sizzling 66 opened up a six-shot lead heading into the final round.

Dyson, who started his professional career in Asia, had six birdies on the front nine and parred in for a total of 15-under-par 201 at Tomson Golf Club.

He is six clear of Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez, who double bogeyed the last for a 70, and Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng, in with a 67.

Former world number one Norman, the main drawcard at the first European Tour event to be staged in China, signed for a 71 which would have placed him joint 8th and 9 shots behind Dyson but was disqualified after reviewing television footage of an incident at the par-three 17th hole.

Norman, who turns 50 next February, hit into the water at the hole and, assuming it was a lateral hazard, took a drop. But the water was marked by a yellow line and he should have gone back to the drop zone or the tee.

"I just took an illegal drop. I should have gone back to the drop zone and I did not.

"I quite honestly did not notice it was a yellow line and just treated it as red (a lateral water hazard)," said Norman, who disqualified himself at the Honda Classic on the US PGA Tour in March for a similar breach.

"It is the second time this year - hell, I have only been disqualified four times in my career. I disqualified myself twice - once at Hartford (in America) and once in Australia when I was leading the tournament. I took an illegal drop that time at a hazard as well.

"When it happened at Honda nobody notified me and again here, nobody notified me. No one in the gallery, no marshals notified me that it was wrong. When I hit off the next tee (the 18th) that was it - I had to be disqualified."

The 26-year-old Dyson, the top ranked player on the Asian Tour in 2000 when he triumphed three times, caused a Shanghai surprise for his title challengers by scorching to the turn in six-under-par 30 thanks to a hot putter.

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