RORY McILROY BIRDIED his final hole to finish five under and take a one shot lead at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
McIlroy shot a 67 to leave him on 15 under, keeping him one clear of Louis Oosthuizen, who hit five straight birdies before bagging two more birdies in his three last holes to finish with a 65.
Shane Lowry shot a third straight 72 to sit on even par.
Haotong Li had led the Chinese challenge with five early birdies which saw him briefly take the lead, but the 24-year-old slipped off the pace with a 42 on the back nine which left him trailing McIlroy by nine shots.