Dylan Frittelli turned in 32 to open up a two-shot lead on day three of the Volvo China Open at Topwin Golf and Country Club.
Pablo Larrazábal entered the day with a three-shot advantage and extended that to four shots early in the day but two bogeys saw him slip behind the surging South African.
Frittelli's four birdies on the front nine moved him to 15 under, two clear of the Spaniard and four ahead of England's Chris Wood, who had earlier carded a 65.
South Korea's Kyong-jun Moon was then in the clubhouse at ten under alongside countryman Soomin Lee, Frenchman Alexander Levy and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger who were all playing the back nine.
Lee birdied the first after an excellent approach, while Larrazábal had to make a smart par save after finding sand off the tee.
The leader then hit a beautiful tee-shot into the par three second and after holing a short but slippery one down the hill, the lead was up to four shots.
Lee then found sand off the tee on the third to drop back to ten under but there was a two-shot swing ahead on the fourth.
There was a lengthy delay as Levy looked for a ball and while the Frenchman made a double-bogey, Frittelli - after a long wait on the fairway - put his approach close for a birdie.
Larrazábal also found the putting surface but he needed three attempts to get down and the lead was down to two.
After a pair of pars on the fifth from the final group, Frittelli put his approach to the sixth to 12 feet and when he rolled in the putt, he was hot on the heels of Larrazábal.
The second two-shot swing of the day came on the seventh as Larrazábal three-putted from distance and with Frittelli holing from six feet, he was the man to catch.
Lee had bogeyed the seventh but both he and Levy took advantage of the par five eighth to get back to ten under and when Frittelli did the same, the lead was up to two shots.
Wood hit the birdie trail early, making gains on the first and fourth and then rattling off four in a row from the sixth to turn in 30. Further gains on the 11th and 15th then followed before he dropped his only shot of the day on the penultimate hole.
Moon was bogey-free in a round of 66 while Wiesberger picked up three shots in his first 15 holes.
Ross Fisher had set the early pace with a 64 that moved him to nine under and included a hole-in-one.
The Englishman holed his tee-shot with a pitching wedge on the 128 yard sixth hole for the 15th ace of the European Tour season.
Home favourites Li Haotong and Yi Cao were also in the clubhouse at nine under.
