Jamie Donaldson shot a five under par 67 to claim the clubhouse lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The Welshman, already looking forward to his Masters Tournament debut in April after climbing into the Official World Golf Ranking's top 50 on the back of his Irish Open victory last summer, carded six birdies and one bogey at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
That saw the 37 year old lead by one from Dane Thorbjørn Olesen, also Augusta-bound, and Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal.
“I played some pretty good golf out there,” said Donaldson. “It's a tough day - the wind is blowing a little. Not as hard as yesterday but still a little wind here makes the golf course very difficult.
“I hit quite a lot of good shots, and more often than not in the short stuff, which you need to be around here. The rough is very penal.”
While Donaldson impressed, Rory McIlroy’s first event of 2013 is in danger of ending after two days following an opening 75.
Most eyes were on the World Number One and second-ranked Tiger Woods after they had been paired together for the start of their seasons, but Woods was not much better - a level par 72 left him five behind.
McIlroy, who on Monday had been unveiled as Woods' Nike stablemate, said: "I feel I was just a little bit rusty."
The 23 year old's last outing was his DP World Tour victory in Dubai in late November, where he finished with five straight birdies, but it was a different story on his return to action.
At least his girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki put in a much more satisfactory day's work, reaching the third round of the Australian Open tennis tournament with a 6-1 6-4 win over Croatian Donna Vekic in Melbourne while McIlroy was on the course.
"I didn't drive it particularly well and didn't hole any putts," added McIlroy, whose round included double bogeys at the short 12th - his third - and 439 yard third, where he drove out of bounds.
It was Woods who produced the worst shot of the pair, though. After turning in a two under 34 his mishit drive down the 405 yard first went barely 120 yards, not even reaching the fairway.
"My game plan was three-iron or five-wood and then I changed," he stated afterwards. "I was not committed to the shot - I should have backed off.
"I had a strategy; I didn't keep to it and paid the price."
He followed it with another bogey at the long second and three-putted the ninth for another, but there were also four birdies on his card compared to McIlroy's two - and it was the ninth time in 12 head-to-head clashes that he had shot lower than the Northern Irishman.
Woods was not surprised that five under was good enough to lead.
"It's tough out there. Every hole is crosswind and it was a day to survive - you've really got to control your ball.
"The rough's up and it's imperative to keep the ball in the fairway."
World Number Five Justin Rose, making his debut in an event where McIlroy and Woods finished second and third respectively last year, was looming as the biggest threat to Donaldson out in front.
By sinking a bunker shot as well - in his case at the 456 yard ninth - Rose turned in a four under 32 and joined Larrázabal and Olesen in second place.
Open Champion Ernie Els was one under and defending champion Robert Rock, who beat Woods head-to-head in the final round 12 months ago, was at one over - a shot better than new Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley.
