Dylan Frittelli in the driving seat at Volvo China Open

Dylan Frittelli of South Africa at the Volvo China Open. Picture: Getty Images

Overnight leader Pablo Larrazabal carded five birdies and three bogeys in his 70 to lie 16 under, with former champion Alexander Levy another four strokes back following a 71.

Larrazabal began the day with a three-shot lead and moved further ahead with a birdie on the second, but then three-putted the fourth and seventh, the latter mistake causing the Spaniard to give himself a sarcastic round of applause. Frittelli had birdied the fourth, sixth and seventh to take over the lead and picked up another shot on the par-five eighth to move two shots clear before Larrazabal narrowed the gap on the tenth.

Both players birdied the 11th and 12th before Frittelli, pictured, stretched his advantage to three shots with a birdie on the 15th and Larrazabal’s third three-putt of the day on the next.

England’s Chris Wood, who has not recorded a top-ten finish since shortly after winning the BMW PGA Championship last year, is in fourth place on 11 under after a 65 marred only by a solitary bogey on the 17th.

Defending champion Li Haotong is two shots further back alongside Soomin Lee, George Coetzee and Ross Fisher, who experienced contrasting fortunes in reaching nine under par.

Lee was penalised a shot for slow play on the 14th, turning a bogey into a double-bogey six in a round of 73, while Fisher made a hole-in-one on the sixth and an eagle two on the 15th in his 64. Richie Ramsay, the only Scot to make the cut, had a level-par round of 72 and is one under for the tournament, 18 shots off the lead.

Catriona Matthew made the cut at the LPGA Texas Shootout despite a four-under-par 75 in the second round. Matthew is three over for the tournament, 12 shots behind leader Haru Nomura of Japan.

Nomura, on nine under, is one shot ahead of Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, with Norway’s Suzann Pettersen a further stroke behind in third place.