Andy Sullivan and Julian Suri set the early target as the final event of the 2017 Race to Dubai got under way at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia are the only players who can still win the season-long title but there is still a Rolex Series trophy on offer for the rest of the 60-man field.
Sullivan and Suri fired rounds of 68 to get to four under and set the clubhouse target, with Australia's Scott Hend sitting a shot ahead of them having played 12 holes after a blistering start to the back nine at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Suri made his European Tour debut less than 12 months ago at the Australian PGA Championship and has since then won the D+D REAL Czech Challenge on the Challenge Tour and the Made In Denmark.
He made it into this week at 59th in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex and continued to make the very most of his excellent debut campaign.
The American started with a bogey but then birdied the second and third before dropping a shot on the fourth. Back-to-back birdies on the seventh and eighth saw him turn in 34 and he doubled up again on the 15th and 16th to get to four under.
England's Sullivan was the runner-up here two years ago and made a birdie-birdie start before dropping a shot on the third. Gains were to follow on the sixth, eighth and tenth as he made a positive start to the week.
Hend birdied the first and fourth but then rattled off a hat-trick of gains from the tenth to jump out into the on-course lead.
Swede Alexander Björk, England's David Horsey, Dane Søren Kjeldsen and Germany's Martin Kaymer were all at three under during their first rounds.
Ian Poulter and Paul Waring made it into this week due to Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson being missing through injury and both signed for rounds of 70 in the first group out to sit in a group of 22 players at two under.
