Liang Wenchong defied a miserable wet day to build a seemingly unassailable 10-shot advantage going into the final round of the Omega China Tour's Hainan Leg at the Kangle Garden Spa.
The 27-year-old shot his second successive seven-under-par 65 to move to 14 under for the tournament, forcing at least one of his distant rivals to fly the white flag.
'Liang has given me a wonderful example of how to play a great round of golf,' said last year's runaway winner of the China Tour Order of Merit, Li Chao, who moved into a tie with Zhang Lianwei for second place with a 69.
'If I have the chance I will say thank you to him. And then I will try to catch him. I know I'm a bit too far away already. Ten strokes behind Liang and with the great performance he showed in this round, I don't think I stand any chance,' said Li.
Despite five birdies and an eagle, Liang had looked as if he was going to face a stern challenge from his mentor Zhang, who eagled the par-five 11th to move to seven under par.
However, the 40-year-old veteran, who has a US Masters appearance and a European PGA Tour victory to his credit, admitted that he let his fantastic form confuse him to the point of distraction, leading to four dropped shots on his way to a 68.