Tyrrell Hatton's brilliant 63 handed him the clubhouse lead on day two of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai as the Race to Dubai looked set to go right to the wire at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
American Patrick Reed held a one-shot lead after day one but much of the focus at the eighth Rolex Series event of the season was on the battle going on between Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose to win the Harry Vardon Trophy.
Fleetwood began the week 256,737 points ahead of Rose at the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex but a 73 on Thursday, coupled with a 66 from Rose, meant he was second in the projected standings heading into round two.
A 65 from the 26 year old moved him right back into the mix at six under but that was still a shot behind his rival who turned in 35.
Neither of them were keeping pace with Hatton, however, as the Englishman moved to nine under and opened up a one-shot lead over Reed and Dane Søren Kjeldsen.
Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Ireland's Paul Dunne, defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, Australian Scott Hend and Rose were then a further shot back.
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.
Reed put his tee-shot on the par three fourth to six feet to pick up his first shot of the day and while he dropped a shot after missing the green off the tee on the sixth, he bounced back on the par five next.
Kjeldsen was a picture of consistency, picking up birdies on the first, seventh, ninth and 11th to make his way through the field.
Rose began his day with five pars but holed a long putt on the sixth and an eight-footer on the seventh before missing the green to drop a shot on the eighth.
Aphibarnrat was four under through 15 holes, Fitzpatrick and Dunne were two under after 12 and 11 holes respectively, and Hend was one under at the turn.
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 three-time European Tour winner 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 then set up another birdie.
Alexander Björk, Ian Poulter, Jon Rahm and Julian Suri were also six under.
