Kevin Kisner and Russell Knox continued to battle it out in round three of the World Golf Championships - HSBC Champions but it was World Number Two Jordan Spieth making a charge up the leaderboard.
Kisner picked up a single shot over his first six holes while Knox had three birdies to join him at 15 under but all eyes were on Spieth who was five shots back after six birdies in 13 holes.
Local favourite Li Haotong was three shots off the lead after starting with four birdies in a row, alongside 2013 champion Dustin Johnson who picked up four shots in seven holes.
Scott Hend was also four under for the day and he was 11 under, one shot clear of Spieth and Thorbjørn Olesen.
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.
But despite the disruptions, the early starters showed there were birdies to be made as Henrik Stenson turned in 32 after starting on the tenth to get to seven under and Rickie Fowler made four birdies in eight holes to sit a shot ahead.
That got Fowler alongside Spieth who caught the eye as he also picked up four shots in eight holes, with a stunning approach on the eighth showing he had found his range.
Hend made a birdie-birdie start to get to nine under but Li, Patrick Reed and Knox all birdied the first, with the Scotsman's five foot putt cutting Kisner's lead to one shot.
The second was proving gettable and Li, Reed, Knox, Johnson and Bernd Wiesberger 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 to drop to 12 under where he was joined by Johnson who had made birdies on the third, fifth and seventh.
Olesen had birdies on the third, fourth, seventh and eighth to get to ten under with Steven Bowditch, Fowler, Branden Grace, Reed and Wiesberger a shot back.
