Alexander Levy will head into the fourth and final round of the China Open with a three-shot lead.
The 23-year-old played out a third-round 70 on Saturday to maintain his chances of winning the tournament in Shenzhen.
The Frenchman struggled against the rain and the winds during the third round, but still held his own to take himself to 16-under for the tournament to keep alive his hopes of winning on the European Tour for the first time in his career.
Levy hit three straight birdies early on the back nine, but then dropped two shots and had bogeys on 14 and 16.
"My target was to do a good job, like the first two rounds, but it was difficult with the rain coming," Sky Sports News quotes him as saying.
"I'm going to play good golf and take some pleasure from the golf course, because it's a very nice course to play. I want to continue to play like I have for the first three rounds and to enjoy the moment.
"I will be nervous, but because you're nervous doesn't mean you can't play well."
Alvaro Quiros of Spain will start Sunday's final round placed second in the leaderboard, while Miko Ilonen of Finland is third at the moment.
Subhankar Mondal
