David Horsey fired a 63 to set the clubhouse target on day one of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic but Emirates Golf Club specialist Rory McIlroy was just two shots behind in the UAE.
Englishman Horsey made ten birdies on his way to a nine under par total, with McIlroy part of a five-strong group in second after a low-scoring opening morning.
All eyes were on the Northern Irishman, who is a two-time winner here and has not finished outside of the top ten since claiming his first European Tour victory in 2009.
He was outshone by Horsey, however, the four-time winner dropping a single stroke to lead the way from McIlroy, Swede Alexander Björk, Dane Lasse Jensen, England's Chris Paisley and Belgian Thomas Pieters.
Horsey birdied the second and third and, while he dropped a shot on the fourth, four gains in a row from the seventh put him rght in the mix.
Further birdies on the 13th and 14th had him in a share of the lead and when he hit an excellent approach into the 17th and capitalised on the par five last, he led by two.
McIlroy hit an excellent tee-shot into the 11th, made a long par putt on the 12th and then took advantage of the par five 13th to get to two under.
Another long putt - this time from the fringe - on the 15th brought another birdie and when he made the most of the 18th, he had turned in 33.
An incredible recovery through the trees after a ragged tee-shot on the first was followed by a fantastic approach to the second, and the 28 year old holed from off the green on the fourth to join the lead.
Jensen set the early pace with birdies on the 11th, 12th 15th, 16th and 18th and when he hit an approach to four feet on the first, he had the lead on his own.
He gave the shot back on the next but took advantage of the par five 13th and an 18-footer on the 16th meant he was the man to catch, although he would soon have company.
Paisley claimed his first European Tour win at the BMW SA Open hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni just over a week ago and he got to three under with birdies on the first, second and eighth before dropping a shot on the ninth.
The back nine is considered the most gettable of the two sides and he played it wonderfully, birdieing the tenth, 11th, 14th, 15th and 18th.
Björk was another man to come to life on the second nine, turning in 34 before eagling the tenth and birdieing the 13th, 14th, 16th and 18th.
Pieters bucked that trend in his bogey-free effort, making four birdies in a row from the second after picking up shots on the 13th, 14th and 18th.
South African Haydn Porteous had been six under before he double-bogeyed the third and he did well to fight back to that score with the help of a chip-in on the fifth.
Defending champion Sergio Garcia had turned in 33 like playing partner McIlroy but the Spaniard could only pick up a single birdie on the way in, while Frenchman Alexander Levy double-bogeyed his last hole to also finish four shots off the lead.
South African Dean Burmester, England's Chris Hanson, Italian Edoardo Molinari and Dane Thorbjørn Olesen were also at five under.
