Haotong Li started the day two shots behind the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and fired five birdies to close with a bogey-free 67 and a two-shot lead at 13-under.
“It felt not easy definitely,” said the Chinese player. “An opposite wind compared to the last two days. I holed some moments and par putts, especially the one on ten. Overall I’m very pleased.
“[The two opening birdies] definitely released a lot of pressure from that position. Especially with my driver being a little bit off today. I didn’t hit as many fairways as yesterday, I just need to create more chances tomorrow.
“So far this year my approach play has been really solid. I just need to keep the momentum going.
“I didn’t look at the leaderboard at all until number ten. Then I saw I was leading and I thought ‘okay’. It felt like a strange feeling. It’s been a while. Hopefully I can continue the momentum going into the final round.”
Li has won three times on the DP World Tour, most recently at the 2022 BMW International Open.
Overnight leader Brandon Robinson Thompson of England made two birdies and a single bogey for a 71 and moved down into second place at 11-under.
“It was a bit of a slow start, honestly,” he said. “Again the wind was up, pins were tucked a little bit and I kept hitting them to 30 or 40 feet. I kept giving myself chances but not close enough.
“You never know on this golf course, especially with this wind direction. You can always finish hot and luckily I picked up two towards the end there.”
Fellow Englishman Matthew Jordan made eight birdies, including five in a row from the 12th, as well as three bogeys for a 67 and a share of third place at 9-under alongside South African Jayden Schaper whose 69 featured just one bogey and four birdies.
