Kevin Kisner saw his lead cut to one shot on day three of the World Golf Championships - HSBC Champions as Jordan Spieth stole the headlines with a brilliant 63.
Kisner recorded a battling 70 on Saturday to get to 16 under but Li Haotong and Dustin Johnson were both just a shot back with Russell Knox also on 15 under and returning to Sheshan International Golf Club to finish his round on Sunday morning.
The low round of the day belonged to Spieth, though, as the World Number Two made nine birdies in an unblemished effort to surge up to within three shots of the lead.
Ross Fisher shot a 65 to sit alongside Spieth at 13 under with Patrick Reed also in that group courtesy of a 68.
For Kisner, victory would represent a first European Tour win at just the sixth attempt while Spieth would join Andy Sullivan with three wins this season after his Major Championship victories at the Masters Tournament and the US Open.
Johnson is in the hunt for a second WGC - HSBC Champions title after his win in 2013 while Knox and Haotong are both seeking maiden wins.
Kisner has finished second three times on the US PGA Tour in 2015, all of those results coming after play-offs, and the 31 year old is hopeful that experience will help him on Sunday.
"I will always use that as motivation to win," he said. "It just shows you how hard it is to win I think. I just want to keep putting myself there and my chance is going to come for sure.
"I played good today. The weather was difficult but I hung in there and made some birdies coming in to give myself a chance to be leading going into tomorrow.
There's so many guys within a couple shots of the lead, it's going to be a dogfight tomorrow no matter what - Kevin Kisner
"My theory on the Tour and trying to win is your lead is never safe because some guy is going to make birdies. Look at Jordan today, his name popped up, I don't even know where he started and he was on the leaderboard.
"Just keep making birdies is what I'm going to try to do. I'll look up on about 15 and 16 and see if I need to change my game plan."
The start was delayed by 30 minutes due to dangerous weather conditions and a near 45 minute stoppage was to follow shortly after play did get under way.
Spieth began the day ten shots behind Kisner but picked up four shots in his first eight holes, with a stunning approach on the eighth showing he had found his range.
Li and Knox birdied the first, with the Scotsman's five foot putt cutting Kisner's lead to one shot, and the second was also proving gettable as Li, Knox and Johnson all took advantage of the par five - the local favourite doing so after a brilliant bunker shot from the back of the green.
All three members of the final group also made birdies there but when Kisner recorded a first bogey of the week on the next and Knox made it three birdies in a row, the lead had changed hands.
Li delighted the home crowd further with lengthy putts on the third and fourth to make it four birdies to start and he was just two shots off the lead which Kisner bounced straight back into with a birdie on the fourth.
While those at the top continued to slug it out, Spieth just kept picking up birdies and when he gained shots on the tenth and 12th holes, he was into double figures.
Li then dropped a first shot of the day on the fifth and he was soon leapfrogged by Johnson who made birdies on the second, third, fifth, seventh and eighth to turn in 31 and get to 13 under.
Even he could not keep pace with Spieth, though, who missed a makeable putt on the 13th before back-to-back gains on the 14th and 15th.
Knox then birdied the eighth for the third day in a row to take the lead as Kisner lipped out from close range and Li also made a gain to get back to 13 under.
A birdie on the par five last saw Spieth join Li and Johnson and when Knox and Kisner both dropped shots on the tenth, the Texan was just two off the lead.
Knox bounced straight back with a gain on the 11th but the leaderboard was congested as the chasing pack continued to pick up shots.
Johnson made a birdie on the 14th to get to 14 under before Li picked up a shot on the 13th and, when the 20 year old put his approach on the 15th inside two feet, he was alone in second on 15 under.
But he was soon to be joined by three others as Knox missed a short putt on the 15th with Kisner chipping in while Johnson rolled in a 12-footer on the 17th to make it a four-way tie for the lead.
A second consecutive gain on the 16th from Kisner saw him break free from that group with Knox deciding to finish the 18th on Sunday morning due to the diminishing light.
Fisher recorded birdies on the second, third and fourth holes before a bogey on the sixth halted his momentum. But he would regain it on the back nine with birdies on the 11th, 12th and 18th, plus an eagle on the 14th, catapulting him into contention.
Reed got off to a birdie-birdie start but surrendered that initiative with a double bogey on the sixth. The American kept his composure, however, and further gains followed on the eighth, 12th, 14th and 18th.
Thorbjørn Olesen then led the group at 12 under with an unblemished 66 while Scott Hend had a single bogey in his 67.
Branden Grace had been one over for his round as he stood on the 16th tee but he made an eagle on the par four and birdied the last to get within four shots of the lead.
Byeong-hun An had a remarkable finish to his round as he eagled the 16th and 18th to get to 11 under alongside Bernd Wiesberger.
Matthew Fitzpatrick, Sergio Garcia, Thongchai Jaidee and Marc Leishman were then a further shot back with Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy eight shots off the lead.
