Jamie Donaldson fired a 69 to maintain his one-shot lead and set the clubhouse target at 13 under on a fog-delayed day two of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
The Welshman had fired a blistering 62 on day one and while he could not quite hit those heights again at Emirates Golf Club, he continued to lead a field that had just 15 players over par.
China's Li Haotong led the chasing pack with South African Branden Grace a shot further back and Thomas Aiken and Miguel Ángel Jiménez at ten under.
After a delay of two hours and 50 minutes due to early morning fog, Donaldson birdied the second and then made a six-footer on the eighth to turn in 33 and get to 12 under.
An excellent up-and-down from the sand on the tenth moved him two ahead and while he gave the shot back on the next, a 15-foot putt on the 16th re-established his cushion.
Li was a picture of consistency on day one as he carded a bogey-free 66 but his round on Friday was a roller coaster as he signed for the same score.
The Chinese birdied the tenth and 13th, bogeyed the 15th, and then made further gains on the 17th and 18th but the fireworks were to come on the front nine. After a double-bogey on the first he went birdie-birdie-bogey-birdie-birdie and picked up further shots after stunning approaches to the eighth and ninth.
Grace has a win and a runners-up finish in his last four starts and continued his superb form with a 65.
The eight-time European Tour winner produced some stunning iron play, picking up birdies on the tenth, 11th, 13th, 17th, first, fourth and fifth in his bogey-free effort.
Fellow South African Aiken overcame a triple-bogey eight on the tenth with birdies on the third, fourth, eighth, ninth, 12th, 13th, 17th and 18th in a 67.
Jiménez, 54, played just seven events - his lowest tally since 1988 - last season as he switches his attention more towards the seniors game but the Spaniard proved he can still mix it with birdies on the tenth, 12th, 13th, 16th and 18th to turn in 32.
When he took advantage of the par five third he was in a share of the lead but a double-bogey after finding water off the seventh tee dropped him back.
England's David Horsey was also ten under after two holes of his second round.
As soon as it pitched, I was like, 'get in', and then it just kissed the flag and went in - Matthew Southgate
Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares, South African Trevor Immelman and South Korean Jeunghun Wang were at nine under alongside Rory McIlroy, who had two birdies in his first four holes.
Matthew Southgate made the second hole-in-one of the season with a nine iron from 154 yards on the seventh, winning himself an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra en route to a 68 and an eight under par total.
"It was just a really good yardage for me," he said. "It was really nice.
"I was aiming at the right lip of the back right bunker and where the wind was, it was just like a perfect target.
"Just hit it absolutely perfect then it just started turning into the flag and I knew it had to to be good. In the air, I was saying, 'be the number, be the number', and when it pitched it was right in line with the flag, a couple of yards short.
"As soon as it pitched, I was like, 'get in', and then it just kissed the flag and went in.
"It's my first one on Tour. I was chuffed. It was really good. I've had a lot just playing with friends and as an amateur but never on the Tour so, seven years waiting, off to a good start this year with one."
