Defending champion Alexander Levy made a brilliant start to the third round of the Volvo China Open in pursuit of his third European Tour title on Saturday.
Levy began the day one shot behind fellow Frenchman Julien Quesne, but birdied his first four holes – he converted a 60 foot putt on the third - to storm to the top of the leaderboard at Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club.
A bogey on the fifth after twice running through the green slowed the 24 year old's momentum and he missed from five feet for another birdie on the eighth, but at ten under par still enjoyed a two shot lead over Chinese teenager Li Hao-tong and England's David Howell.
Li, who lost out in a play-off for the Shenzhen International on Sunday, had recovered from a bogey on the second with birdies at the fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth to delight the home crowd.
And Howell followed six straight pars with four birdies in five holes from the seventh to boost his hopes of a first victory since the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews in 2013.
Overnight leader Quesne and Belgium's Thomas Pieters were a shot further back on seven under, Quesne having carded two birdies, one bogey and a double bogey on an erratic front nine.
Sweden's Magnus A Carlsson and England's Seve Benson had taken advantage of perfect early conditions to set the clubhouse target on six under after rounds of 65 and 66 respectively, with the wind gaining strength as the leaders headed into the back nine.
Howell reduced the gap to a single shot when he birdied the par five 13th, only to bogey the next after failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker.
Levy was making hard work of recording pars and did well to avoid three-putting the 11th and 12th, but remained out in front on ten under as the breezy conditions and firm greens made life difficult for the chasing pack.
