Dustin Johnson is in pole position to make history on Sunday after opening up a six-shot lead heading into the final round of the WGC-HSBC Champions.
The World Number One already has five World Golf Championships to his name - including this one in 2013 - and is the only man to have won all four of the events.
Another victory at Sheshan International Golf Club would see him enter the history books again as he bids to become the first player to win three in a single season after his triumphs at the WGC-Mexico Championship and WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
A third-round 68 on Saturday moved him to 17 under with fellow American Brooks Koepka then his nearest challenger.
Swede Henrik Stenson was leading the European Tour challenge at ten under, one clear of England's Justin Rose and American Brian Harman.
Johnson's lead is the biggest 54-hole advantage of the season by two shots but both Alex Noren and Alexander Levy have come from seven shots back to win on the final day at the BMW PGA Championship and Volvo China Open respectively.
"I'm not going to change anything," said Johnson. "I feel like I've got a good game-plan for the golf course. I'm going to play it just like I did today.
"I think the wind is going to be out of the same direction. Might be blowing a little bit harder.
"But as far as tee-shots and approaches to the green, I'm going to try to do exactly what I did today."
Johnson entered the day with a one-shot lead but made just his third bogey of the week on the first and, with Koepka holing from just off the edge of the green, the reigning US Open champion was back in the lead he had held for most of round two.
The leading duo both took advantage of the par five second, with Koepka holing from eight feet on the next for a birdie-birdie-birdie start and two-shot advantage.
I feel like I've got a good game-plan for the golf course. I'm going to play it just like I did today - Dustin Johnson
Johnson would not let him get away, however, and holed a 15-footer on the fourth and got up and down from a nasty lie on the seventh to tie the lead.
There was then a huge swing on the par five eighth as Johnson put his second shot left but got up and down for an unlikely birdie as Koepka recorded an eight. The four-time Challenge Tour winner lost his ball in the trees off the tee, put his fourth into more trees to the left of the green to take another drop, and two putts meant that Johnson had a four-shot lead.
Johnson needed two attempts to get out of the bushes on the tenth and recorded a double-bogey but Koepka also dropped a shot after getting in bunker trouble.
The 33 year old got back on track with a birdie on the 11th and a poor tee-shot and chip on the next from Koepka extended the lead to five, with both men then making gains on the par five 14th and driveable 16th.
Johnson then had a chance to open up a seven-shot lead on the last as Koepka bogeyed after going in the water but left his birdie putt short.
Stenson bogeyed the eighth to turn in 37 but found his rhythm on the back nine, making birdies on the 11th, 14th, 16th and 17th to give himself a chance on Sunday.
Rose battled to a level par 72 with birdies on the second, 13th and last cancelled out by bogeys on the seventh, ninth and 16th.
Harman bogeyed the first but then made gains on the second, seventh and 16th.
Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello made an eagle for the second day in a row, adding four birdies and four bogeys in 70 that moved him to eight under.
American Peter Uihlein had four birdies and a bogey to also sit at eight under alongside countryman Kyle Stanley.
Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Kuchar were then ten shots off the lead.
