Tyrrell Hatton posted a stunning 63 to set the clubhouse target as Tommy Fleetwood made a surge through the field on day two of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
Both men began their days a long way behind overnight leader Patrick Reed in the eighth Rolex Series event of the season, with a strong second round imperative for Fleetwood as he battles it out to win the Race to Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The Englishman began the week 256,737 points ahead of Justin Rose at the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex but was second in the projected standings after a 73 on Thursday.
A 65 repaired that damage and moved him level with his countryman - who had completed four holes in level par - for the week at six under, but that was three behind Hatton who opened up a one-shot lead over Reed.
Defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick was at seven under alongside Scott Hend, a shot clear of Fleetwood, Rose, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Alexander Björk, Dean Burmester, Søren Kjeldsen and Julian Suri.
Hatton birdied the third but a hole-out from 144 yards on the fifth handed him an eagle that really kick-started his round. He hit a smart tee-shot into the par three sixth, holed a monster putt on the seventh and when he made a hat-trick of gains from the tenth, he was in the outright lead.
A right-to-lefter on the 16th extended his lead to two and Rose's course-record 62 set in 2012 looked to be in real danger.
A lengthy putt on the 17th then had him into double figures for both the day and the week but when he failed to get out of a bunker around the 18th green, he surrendered his only bogey of the day.
"If you said at the start of the day I would shoot nine under, I would be over the moon," he said. "Pretty bitter pill to swallow on 18, that hole seems to hate me. Hopefully one day I'll actually play it well.
"Overall I'm really happy with today. Obviously my head is a bit all over the place after 18.
If I can keep putting like that for the rest of the tournament then, hopefully, on Sunday I'll give myself a good chance - Tyrrell Hatton
"It was nice to hole putts again, that was a big thing today. There was a little substitution with the putter from yesterday so that seemed to work well.
"If I can keep putting like that for the rest of the tournament then, hopefully, on Sunday I'll give myself a good chance."
Fleetwood made a birdie-birdie start to get into red figures for the week and when he holed a six-footer down the hill on the fifth and a 15-foot right-to-lefter on the sixth, he was on a charge.
The 26 year old made a stunning eagle on the seventh on Thursday but a dropped shot there in round two threatened to stall his momentum as he turned in 33.
An approach to ten feet on the 12th and tee-shot to similar range on the next put paid to those fears, however, and another excellent second into the 15th had him into the top ten.
An excellent lag putt from just off the green on the last set up another birdie and after starting the day seven shots behind Rose, he had caught him before his rival had teed off.
Reed put his tee-shot on the par three fourth to six feet to pick up his first shot of the day while playing partner Hend had made a gain on the third.
Fitzpatrick holed a long putt on the third and added another birdie on the seventh.
Burmester was four under through 12 holes, Aphibarnrat had picked up three shots in his first ten, Kjeldsen and Suri were both two under and Björk had picked up a single shot.
