Jamie Donaldson set the clubhouse target on day two of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic as the second round was delayed by fog at Emirates Golf Club.
The Welshman followed up his stunning opening 62 with a 69 to get to 13 under and sit a shot ahead of China's Li Haotong, who carded a second consecutive 66 to well and truly put the illness that dogged him in Abu Dhabi behind him.
South African Branden Grace's 65 was the lowest completed round of the day and he sat at 11 under, a shot clear of Thomas Aiken and Miguel Ángel Jiménez.
Swede Alexander Björk was also 11 under after 12 holes of his second round, with Rory McIlroy at ten under with seven holes to play.
Early morning fog meant two hours and 50 minutes were lost and all of the later starters will have to complete their second rounds from 7.30am on Saturday morning.
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.
"I have backed up low scores like that with another one but today it wasn't to be," he said. "Quite happy with a 69.
"Played nicely. Drove the ball well, iron play was good, took my chances when I was close enough to do so. Hit a lot of really good putts that didn't go in where yesterday they all went in.
"It can always be better, can't it? Wanted to try to go flag hunting a little bit, which maybe I shouldn't have done, but happy with how I played."
Played nicely. Drove the ball well, iron play was good, took my chances when I was close enough to do so - Jamie Donaldson
Li was a picture of consistency on day one but his round on Friday was a roller coaster.
The 22 year old 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 runner-up finish in his last four starts and continued his superb form.
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.
Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares, South African Trevor Immelman and South Korean Jeunghun Wang were at nine under alongside Englishmen David Horsey and Chris Paisley, and Dane Lasse Jensen, who were in the middle of their second rounds.
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.
