Lee Slattery turned in 34 to open up a one-shot lead in the final round of the Shenzhen International before play was suspended due to a thunderstorm.
The Englishman had returned to the Genzon Golf Club at 6.30am to finish his third round and recorded two birdies to begin the final round three shots behind leader Soomin Lee.
Lee had been five ahead as he stood on the 17th tee in his own third round but a double-bogey followed by three dropped shots in his first eight holes of round four saw him fall behind.
Alexander Levy had made three birdies in the morning as he finished up round three, and had two birdies in his opening eight holes to sit just a single shot behind Slattery at 13 under.
Brandon Stone, without a bogey since his third hole in round one, turned in 34 to sit alongside Lee a further shot back, one clear of Bradley Dredge, Scott Hend and Joost Luiten.
Play was suspended at 2.29pm with the final groups around the turn.
Levy made the early move in round four with an approach to a foot producing a birdie on the first as Lee dropped a shot, but the Frenchman gave the gain straight back on the next with play delayed by a short downpour.
Dredge had moved into the group at 12 under courtesy of a brilliant approach to the first and when he got it close again on the fourth, he was just a shot off the lead.
Slattery made a smart par save on the fifth and then birdied from 15 feet on the sixth to also get within one, and he was soon joined by Levy who went right at the pin for a birdie on the fifth.
Another huge downpour came with the final group on the sixth and ahead at the seventh Dredge found bunker trouble and ended up recording a triple-bogey.
Lee also fell victim to the seventh when he lost his ball off the tee to record a double and he fell out of the lead for the first time since round one.
Slattery then had time to take advantage of the par five ninth to move into the lead on his own at 14 under before the horn sounded with the final group on the fairway behind him.
Stone had a birdie on the third and then sandwiched a dropped shot on the eighth with two further gains.
Dredge picked up a shot on the ninth to get back to 11 under, where Luiten had a single gain on the second and Hend was making a move at four under for the day through 12 holes.
Two-time Major Championship winner Bubba Watson was then at nine under alongside Nacho Elvira, Thorbjørn Olesen and Julien Quesne.
