Wenyi Ding welcomed an improved performance off the tee as he put himself in contention for a home win at the 2026 Hainan Classic presented by MAEXTRO.
Ding fired six birdies in a bogey-free third round of 66 at Mission Hills to leave himself in a share of fourth place on 14 under par.
That is three shots off the lead held jointly by Jorge Campillo and Jordan Gumberg and will see Ding tee off in Sunday's penultimate group along with Euan Walker and Thriston Lawrence.
The 21-year-old, seeking his first DP World Tour victory, birdied the third, fourth and sixth holes to turn in 33 and matched that performance coming in after gains at the tenth, 12th and 16th.
It was his second 66 of the week and matched Walker, Dylan Frittelli and Marcus Armitage for the best round of the day - and while Ding felt he had chances to shoot even lower, he was happy to improve on Friday's round of 70.
"The tee shots were better than yesterday," he said. "I hit a lot on the fairway, so it gave me more chance to chase a birdie and putting was pretty good - even though I missed, but I'm satisfied.
"We still have one more round but I'll say yes, today is much better than yesterday, so, hopefully, tomorrow will be better. I just want to be myself and see what happens for tomorrow."
This is the second year of the China Tour event being co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, with a second host course at Mission Hills added as the first two rounds were played across both the Blackstone and Vintage Courses.
The weekend has reverted to solely the Blackstone Course and Ding said: "I feel the course condition is better, especially the greens – this year is perfect.
"The green speed is really similar for each hole, so it's definitely a good tournament golf course."
