Marcus Kinhult picked up four shots on Friday morning to hit the top of the leaderboard at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The Swede came through the Qualifying School in 2015 but made just two cuts in his rookie season, although he is enjoying much greater success second time around on the European Tour.
After graduating off the Challenge Tour last season he has four top-50s from five starts and, after an opening 68, he picked up four strokes in 12 holes on day two at Doha Golf Club.
That left him eight under, one shot ahead of overnight leaders Grégory Havret, Eddie Pepperell and Aaron Rai, who were all due to be among the later starters on another day of good scoring conditions.
Belgian Thomas Detry, South African Jacques Kruyswijk, Frenchmen Matthieu Pavon and Clément Sordet and Scot Marc Warren had then all moved into the group at six under.
Kinhult had a roller coaster start, sandwiching bogeys on the 11th and 13th with birdies on the tenth and 14th, but then found his consistency with gains on the 16th, 18th, first and third.
Playing partner Kruyswijk also picked up four shots, while Sordet was making a big move, making five birdies in a row from the 16th in his first 11 holes.
His playing partner Detry had picked up one stroke, with Warren and Pavon two under for the day after nine and seven holes respectively, and England's Oliver Fisher level par through six.
England's Ashley Chesters completed a low-scoring group alongside Kinhult and Kruyswijk as he picked up five shots to get to five under alongside countryman Ryan Evans, Scot David Drysdale and Italian Lorenzo Gagli.
