Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen holds a one-stroke lead at the halfway point of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship after Friday's play.
Olesen fired a five-under-par 67 at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club to lead Italian Matteo Manassero and Northern Ireland's Gareth Maybin by a solitary stroke.
Maybin has gone bogey-free in his 36 holes so far, while Manassero shot a devastating seven-under 65 to rise into title contention.
A group of seven players, including world number three Rory McIlroy and 14-time major winner Tiger Woods are a further shot back.
Also tied for fourth are Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, Robert Rock, Paul Lawrie, Robert Karlsson and Richard Finch.
Leader Olesen began his day with three birdies from the first four holes and although he followed that with a bogey, a hat-trick of birdies from holes eight to 10 restored his momentum.
He saved another shot on the 12th and although he finished his round with a bogey, the Dane did enough to hold the outright lead after two days play.
Manassero shot the day's lowest score, with the 18-year-old hitting seven birdies including four from his last eight holes.
Lawrie and Woods were the best of the bunch tied for fourth, as they both shot rounds of 69, with the latter hitting five birdies and two bogeys in his round.
Spaniard Sergio Garcia and South African Charl Schwartzel are in a five-way tie for 11th, with Italian Francesco Molinari a shot further back.
World number one Luke Donald is at one under in a tie for 32nd while the man one spot below him in the rankings, Lee Westwood, is similarly placed one shot behind him on the scoreboard.
Things did not go to plan for the man ranked fourth in the world, Germany's Martin Kaymer, who finished with a score of six over from his two rounds to miss the cut.
Kaymer - who has won the tournament on three occasions before - will be joined by the likes of Australian Jason Day, Italian Edoardo Molinari and Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke in making an early exit from Abu Dhabu this weekend after the quartet failed to qualify for the weekend's action.