Three time winner Martin Kaymer's lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship was reduced to one shot following Thomas Pieters' exceptional performance during a second round that also included Rory McIlroy's maiden European Tour hole-in-one.
The 30 year old, winner of this event in 2008, 2010 and 2011, continued his momentum by carding five birdies, half as many as he collected on Thursday, as his blemish free five under par 67 moved him five clear before Pieters teed off.
Kaymer's final gain, on the eighth after starting on the back nine, moved him to 13 under and equalled the 36 hole record he set at the tournament seven years ago.
But 22 year old Pieters thrived on the chase, driving and putting immaculately, and matched the German's round with only a bogey on his final hole denying him a share of the lead.
US Open Champion Kaymer said: “I didn't miss many fairways, which gives you the opportunity to go for a lot of flags.
“And to be honest I really believe the golf course plays two or three shots tougher in the morning than in the afternoon because once you miss the fairway, you're in that thick, wet grass and then it's almost impossible to get home in two on the par fours. So I was very happy to shoot five under today.
“I will give it my best to get to the 20s. I'll say it that way. Right now, I'm 13 under par, which is a great score after two rounds.”
Pieters, who narrowly missed out on a maiden European Tour title when he lost to Miguel Angel Jiménez in a play-off at the Open de España last May, birdied six holes before a dropped shot on the ninth, his last, left him 12 under.
The Belgian said: “It was a solid day. I started off well but just struggled coming in a little bit. I rolled it well with my putter, so that was nice.”
McIlroy's ace, the third of the tournament, arrived on the 177-yard par three 15th, replicating Jiménez's heroics from Thursday, and was the highlight of a round that left his Ryder Cup rival and playing partner Rickie Fowler behind.
The World Number One said: “It definitely made up for the two previous holes. It was a perfect number. It was straight downwind, 177 yards, and I had a nine iron. The 12th hole was playing sort of similar and I hit nine iron there and pitched 194 so I knew it was a pretty good number.
“As soon as it left, it looked like it had a chance. It took a nice little hop to the right. It's my first one ever in competition as a pro, so obviously the beers are on me tonight.
“It was unexpected. I had been playing well but I had not been putting so well. So that took the putter out of it thankfully and I didn't need to get the putter out on that hole.”
McIlroy's six under 66 also included five birdies and moved him to 11 under, nine shots ahead of an off-colour Fowler.
The American, who was neck and neck with the Northern Irishman overnight, had his progress halted when, having just missed out on a hole-in-one on the seventh, he triple-bogeyed the next and then dropped further shots on the 11th and 15th.
Englishman James Morrison, playing in this event for the fourth year, made the cut for the first time after reaching nine under, overcoming a bogey on the sixth with half a dozen birdies, including two on the final two holes.
American Peter Uihlein is alongside Morrison while Frenchman Alexander Levy and Australian Richard Green, who is one of 12 players in the field this week to have played in every edition of this championship in its ten year history, are one shot further back.
Bernd Wiesberger produced the best round of the day, carding a seven under par 65, to sit on seven under alongside four other players.
