Adrian Otaegui and Matt Wallace will share the lead heading into the final round of the Volvo China Open after a dramatic third day at Topwin Golf & Country Club.
Wallace entered Saturday with a one-shot lead and a 69 moved him to 12 under, with Spain's Otaegui making five birdies in a row from the eighth in a bogey-free 67.
Another Spaniard in Jorge Campillo was then at 11 under alongside Swede Alexander Björk and Frenchman Julien Guerrier, with 18 players within three shots of the lead.
Otaegui has been a picture of consistency this seaaon, making all seven cuts to extend his run to 12, with a top ten at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and a worst finish of a tie for 40th.
He won last season's Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play for his only European Tour victory to date, while Wallace will go in search of win number three after a meteoric rise.
Wallace claimed six victories - including five in a row - on the Alps Tour in 2016 before his wire-to-wire triumph at the Open de Portugal at Morgado Golf Resort last season, and added the Hero Indian Open last month.
"Again it was frustrating but I’m playing really good golf so there’s not much else I can do," he said. "I’m playing really nicely, I’m hitting it long and straight and if I do that tomorrow I’ll have a few chances at birdie. We’re tied for the lead so I’m pretty happy."
Jinho Choi was at ten under after equalling the lowest round of the day with a 65, alongside fellow South Korean Jeunghun Wang, Ireland's Paul Dunne, Spaniard Nacho Elvira, American Sihwan Kim and Italian Andrea Pavan.
"I played well from the beginning to the end," said Otaegui. "I made a couple of mistakes but was able to make pars. That five birdies in a row helped me a lot. I think I have been very consistent all week, I am striking the ball well and feeling well so I am happy with that."
Wallace parred his first two holes but he put his approach on the third to ten feet to join Choi at the top of the leaderboard. That group at ten under would swell to six to but Wallace, Björk, Otaegui and Guerrier were the only men who would get out of the pack.
Guerrier holed a monster putt on the first and then took advantage of the par five fourth and eighth to get to ten under.
Björk birdied the third but it looked like the field was moving away from him before three birdies in a row from the eighth - including a tricky putt from the fringe on the tenth - had him in double figures.
Otaegui had started his round with seven straight pars but a hat-trick of birdies from the eighth saw him surge into a share of the lead.
Wallace birdied the par five eighth after a huge drive but Otaegui and Guerrier both birdied the 11th, with Otaegui driving the green and Guerrier getting up and down from the sand.
Wallace holed a 15-footer on the tenth to edge ahead but Oteagui made a fifth birdie in a row from similar range on the 12th to join him at 12 under.
Björk's excellent run had come to an end with a bogey on the 11th after he missed the green but he birdied the 13th and holed a left-to-righter from the fringe at the 15th that turned 90 degrees to get to 11 under.
Otaegui parred his way home to set the target, while Guerrier had bogeyed the 15th after going a long way left off the tee but took advantage of the par five last.
Wallace was a long way over the green on the driveable 15th but got up and down brilliantly for a birdie before dropping a shot after having to chip out sideways on the 17th.
Campillo looked to be losing ground as he turned in level par but birdies on the tenth, 15th, 17th and 18th put him right in the mix for a first European Tour win.
Defending champion Alexander Levy matched Choi's 65 to get to nine under as he looks to win for the second week in a row, with 2015 champion Wu Ashun also in the group three off the lead.
Finn Tapio Pulkkanen made the 13th hole-in-one of the season and second of the week as he aced the sixth from 135 yards with a 53-degree wedge.
