Byeong-hun An turned in 33 to take a share of the lead as the second round of the Italian Open got under way at Golf Club Milano.
The South Korean had to play 17 holes of his first round in the morning following Thursday's weather delays and posted an opening 65 to sit just a shot behind overnight leader Rikard Karlberg.
It was a quick turnaround to get him out for round two and he maintained his momentum, picking up two shots on the back nine to hit the summit along with Frenchman Alexander Levy and England's Chris Paisley.
Levy had five birdies in 13 holes to also get to eight under, while Paisley had three birdies in his first ten.
Masters Tournament champion Danny Willett and fellow Englishman Chris Hanson were then at seven under alongside Australian Richard Green and Karlberg, who was yet to begin his second round.
Teeing off from the tenth, An started birdie-bogey but picked up a shot on the 14th before a brilliant approach to eight feet got him to eight under at the next and into the lead.
Levy also turned in 33 after starting on the back nine but a hat-trick of birdies from the first catapulted him to a share and Paisley soon made it a three-way tie.
The 30 year old made birdies on the first and third to turn in 34 and then added another on the tenth to hit the summit.
Willett, finalising his preparations for the Ryder Cup in a fortnight's time, birdied the 14th and 17th to turn in 33, while Hanson had three birdies and a bogey in eight holes.
Green had turned in 35 before three birdies in five holes from the tenth moved him just a shot off the lead.
Another Australian, Brett Rumford, was in the group at six under alongside English duo Andy Sullivan and Lee Slattery, Scottish pair Richie Ramsay and Marc Warren, Chilean Felipe Aguilar and local favourite Francesco Molinari, who was yet to tee off.
