Defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick opened up a one-shot lead on day two of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai as the battle to win the Race to Dubai title intensified at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
A brilliant birdie on the last handed Fitzpatrick a second consecutive 67 and a ten under par total, with Justin Rose looking like he would be one shot back and maintain top spot in the projected Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex heading into the weekend.
But a closing bogey from the 2013 US Open champion dropped him to eight under and Tommy Fleetwood - who had earlier fired an excellent 65 - moved back into pole position for the Harry Vardon trophy at the eighth Rolex Series event of the season.
Tyrrell Hatton's brilliant 63 earlier in the day moved him to nine under, a shot ahead of Rose, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Julian Suri.
Paul Dunne, Scott Hend, Søren Kjeldsen, Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed were then at seven under, one ahead of Fleetwood, Alexander Björk, Dean Burmester and Ryan Fox.
Fleetwood began the week 256,737 points ahead of Rose at the top of the Rankings but a 73 on Thursday, coupled with a 66 from Rose, dropped him out of the top position he had held for most of the season.
His 65 represented a fantastic response but with Rose posting a 70, there was still all to play for heading into the weekend and if Rose does not finish in the top five this week, then Fleetwood is guaranteed to be crowned Europe's Number One.
Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, is bidding to become just the second player to successfully defend this title after Henrik Stenson won it in 2013 and 2014.
"I've got nothing to lose," he said. "I'm not trying to win the Race to Dubai, unfortunately.
I'm just looking forward to the weekend and delighted that I could put myself in position - Matthew Fitzpatrick
"I did win last year and that probably gives me a little bit more confidence than everyone else. Maybe apart from Rosey because he's won the last two starts.
"I'm just looking forward to the weekend and delighted that I could put myself in position."
The 23 year old holed a long putt on the third for his first birdie of the day before capitalising on the par five seventh. He dropped a shot on the eighth but a birdie on the tenth and stunning approach to three feet on the 14th brought an eagle and a share of the lead.
He holed a putt from off the edge of the 15th green to hit the front alone but bogeyed the 17th after finding a bunker off the tee before holing a 25-footer to get up and down from the rough on the last.
Earlier, Hatton birdied the third but a hole-out from 144 yards on the fifth handed him an eagle that really kick-started his round. He hit a smart tee-shot into the par three sixth, holed a monster putt on the seventh and when he made a hat-trick of gains from the tenth, he was in the outright lead.
A right-to-lefter on the 16th and lengthy putt on the 17th then had him into double figures for both the day and the week but when he failed to get out of a bunker around the 18th green first time, he surrendered his only bogey of the day.
Rose holed a long putt on the sixth and an eight-footer on the seventh but missed the green to give the shot back on the next. A nice chip on the 14th and brilliant approach to the next briefly had him in a share of the lead before he three-putted the last.
"I was aware of the scores and who had done what today," he said. "It was an exciting day's golf from a Race to Dubai point of view.
"Halfway stage, I'd probably have signed up for that if somebody said on Wednesday, you would be in this position after two rounds, I'd have taken it. It's a position you can build on at the weekend.
"Today was a day I did leave a couple out there but in the course of 72 holes, there's always a spell or round where you feel like you left a few out there."
It's a position you can build on at the weekend - Justin Rose
Thai Aphibarnrat stayed bogey-free with birdies on the third, sixth, seventh, 11th and 18th, while American Suri made three birdies in his last five holes in a 68.
Countryman Reed recorded a 72, Australia's Hend carded a 71, Irishman Dunne signed for a 70, Kjeldsen got round in 69 and Rahm went one better.
Fleetwood made a birdie-birdie start to get into red figures for the week and when he holed a six-footer down the hill on the fifth and a 15-foot right-to-lefter on the sixth, he was on a charge.
The 26 year old made a stunning eagle on the seventh on Thursday but a dropped shot there in round two threatened to stall his momentum as he turned in 33.
An approach to ten feet on the 12th and tee-shot to similar range on the next put paid to those fears, however, and another excellent second into the 15th had him into the top ten. An impressive lag putt from just off the green on the last then set up another birdie.
