DAVID Howell felt he got to grips with the testing Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club layout after putting himself in position for a first European Tour victory in nearly two years today.

Swindon's Howell followed six straight pars with five birdies in seven holes from the seventh to share the lead and boost his hopes of a first victory since the Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews in 2013 at the Volvo China Open.

"It was a very nice day for me," the 39-year-old former Ryder Cup player said after a 68 which featured just one bogey when he failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker on the 14th

"I felt like there was a score to be had out there and I adapted to the conditions much better than I did yesterday, when I struggled with the comparative softness of the course. I knew what to expect today, and took advantage.

"I really got it going nicely around the turn. I had a few chances early on which I didn't take, but I managed to stay patient and eventually the birdies came."

Defending champion Alexander Levy squandered a brilliant start to leave the destiny of the tournament wide open heading into Sunday's final round.

Levy threatened to take a stranglehold on the event when he birdied his first four holes to storm into the lead on 11 under par.

However, those would prove to be his last birdies of the day and bogeys on the fifth, 14th and 15th meant the 24-year-old had to settle for a third round of 71 and a share of the lead with Howell and Chinese pair Li Hao-tong and Wu Ashun on eight under.

Sweden's Magnus A Carlsson, England's Seve Benson, Thailand's Prom Meesawat and Scotland's Richie Ramsay were all on six under, with Belgium's Thomas Pieters another shot back and overnight leader Julien Quesne four under after struggling to a 76.