Søren Kjeldsen and Thorbjørn Olesen made a flying start to hit the top of the leaderboard on day two of the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf.
Lower scoring was expected as play shifted from foursomes to fourballs for the second round at Kingston Heath Golf Club and so it proved, with a host of teams including China, the Netherlands and New Zealand making a surge up the leaderboard.
But none of them could match the play of the Danish pair as they made an eagle and two birdies in their first five holes to join China and the Netherlands at the top of the standings.
Ashun Wu and Li Haotong had two birdies in their first three holes to also sit at four under, with the Dutch team of Joost Luiten and Darius van Driel seven under for their first 13 holes.
Overnight leaders Spain were then at three under alongside New Zealand, Sweden and Wales.
The Dutch began the day six shots off the lead but moved into a share with birdies on the second, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, 11th and 13th.
The Danes were next to make a big move as Kjeldsen holed out from the fairway on the third for an eagle before a birdie followed and Olesen put a stunning approach to tap-in range on the fifth.
China had parred the first but Wu holed a lengthy putt on the second and Li got in on the act as he repeated the trick on the second to get them to four under early in their round.
Rafa Cabrera Bello had made a birdie on the second but both he and Spanish team-mate Jon Rahm made a mess of the third to drop to three under.
New Zealand had a single par in their first 12 holes to sit six under for the day while Wales were five under for their first 11 holes.
Swedish pair Alex Noren and David Lingmerth then had three birdies in the first five holes.
Belgium, England, India, South Africa and the United States were then all two under.
