Renato Paratore finished with four birdies to lead the way from World Number One Brooks Koepka midway through the first day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA.
The first Rolex Series event of the the 2020 Race to Dubai had brought an elite field to Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Koepka was bogey free in getting to six under in his first competitive round since aggravating a knee injury in October.
But that could not keep pace with Paratore, who fired a 64 to get to eight under and lead ahead of Koepka and Australian Jason Scrivener.
Major Champion Sergio Garcia, fellow Spaniard and Rolex Series champion Rafa Cabrera Bello, South African Zander Lombard and Australian Zach Murray were at five under.
Paratore has made a bright start to the season as he looks for a second European Tour title, losing out in a play-off at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
There was a seven way tie for the lead at four under as the early groups made the turn in Abu Dhabi and Paratore, Koepka, Scrivener, Cabrera Bello, Garcia and Murray were all part of it.
Scrivener started with three birdies, while Paratore birdied three of his first four, and both men made a gain at the sixth before Paratore dropped a shot at the seventh.
Koepka and Cabrera Bello both took advantage of the par five tenth and while Garcia missed that opportunity, he made a birdie from ten feet at the 11th.
Cabrera Bello put his tee shot to tap-in range at the 12th to sit one back and a 15 foot left to righter at the 15th meant Garcia was also one back.
Koepka holed from similar range at the 15th but Carbrera Bello was flying and played an excellent approach to the 14th from the waste area before another wonderful iron into the par three 15th had him at four under.
Garcia holed a 20 footer on the 17th and Koepka chipped in at the same hole before both men birdied the par five 18th.
Paratore picked up the shot he dropped at the seventh on the tenth, and Murray birdied the first, second, fourth, fifth and eighth to go with a bogey on the third to join the leading logjam.
Cabrera Bello birdied the first from six feet to break out but Garcia and Kopeka both birdied the par five second before Cabrera Bello did the same to break free once more.
Koepka holed from ten feet at the third and led alone as Cabrera Bello bogeyed the same hole after a poor tee shot, but the American had Murray for company courtesy of a birdie at the 11th.
Another Murray gain at the 13th had him ahead on his own but bogeys at the 16th and 17th stalled his progress as Paratore surged clear with his big finish.
Koepka parred his last six holes to get in the clubhouse at six under, where he was joined by Scrivener with birdies on the 13th and last.
Cabrera Bello bogeyed the fifth but bounced back at the seventh, while Garcia birdied the eighth but gave the shot straight back on his last hole.
Lombard made birdies on the third, ninth, tenth, 11th, 13th and last to go with a bogey on the 16th.
French duo Raphaël Jacquelin and Mike Lorenzo-Vera were at four under along with three time champion in Abu Dhabi Martin Kaymer.
