Miguel Ángel Jiménez may spend most of his time playing seniors golf nowadays but he still enjoys showing the young guns how it is done on the European Tour.
The 54 year old has rolled back the years over the first two days at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, carding rounds of 66 and 68 at Emirates Golf Club to be right in the mix heading into the weekend at an event he won in 2010.
The Spaniard is a 21-time winner on Tour but played just seven events last season - his lowest tally since 1988 - as he switches his focus to the over-50s game.
Birdies on the tenth, 12th, 13th, 16th, 18th and third had him in a share of the lead on Friday afternoon and while a double-bogey after finding the water on the seventh dropped him back, the charismatic veteran was in high spirits after his round.
"I still like to play with the young boys. Still like to play on the European Tour," he said. "Obviously now I play 90 per cent of the tournaments I play on the Champions Tour but I still love to come here to some tournaments.
"The golf course, it's a golf course where I can defend myself and play and be competitive. That's what I want to do and see another new generation of guys coming up. I see a lot of faces I don't know here. That's good.
"I think I've been feeling everything good. Hitting good from the tee, putting good. All the game's good and especially I play with all the people around, I'm happy to be here and they are happy to see me here.
"I'm going to finish my cigar, going to have a small nap and I'm going to have a beautiful bottle of wine."
Branden Grace shot the lowest round of the morning wave with a 65 as he continued his excellent recent form.
The South African has a win and a runners-up finish in his last four European Tour starts and was pleased with his position heading into the weekend.
"I think the ball-striking was key today," he said. "Hit a lot of fairways, only missed one green and bogey-free.
"Around a place like this, it's always nice to shoot that on a Friday and get yourself into contention going into the weekend.
"The last couple of weeks, I'm getting it around the golf course but it doesn't always feel good. Today, I must say, I felt free and I felt in control."
Li Haotong missed the cut last week in Abu Dhabi as he battled illness but four birdies in his last five holes on Friday saw him sign for a second consecutive 66 and sit in a strong position.
"So far, so good," he said. "I made a lot of putts and, especially from last week, recovery. I just got sick and could not focus on the game, not feeling great. But this week was quite fresh and the game is in good shape.
"It's very exciting. I'm looking forward to the next two days. Hopefully play solid and play some low rounds out there."
