Andy Sullivan stormed home in 32 to join a six-way tie for the clubhouse lead on day two of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
Bradley Dredge had come into day two at Doha Golf Club with a one-shot lead but he was joined at eight under by Sullivan, Spanish pair Jorge Campillo and Nacho Elvira, South African Thomas Aiken and Finn Mikko Korhonen.
Dane Lucas Bjerregaard, Ireland's Paul Dunne, English pair Chris Hanson and Anthony Wall and American Daniel Im were then all a shot back.
Higher winds had made scoring more difficult on Friday but that did not stop Chris Paisley making a hole-in-one on the 17th.
Dredge and Campillo were playing together and while the latter began the day five shots behind his partner, it was he who made a big move early.
He birdied the 11th, 14th, 17th and 18th to turn in 32 but a lovely chip on the 16th helped Dredge open up a two-shot lead at the turn.
Korhonen was two back alongside Campillo as he played his first ten holes in level par despite a double-bogey on the tenth and when Dredge found a bunker off the tee on the third, the lead was down to one.
Elvira had turned in 35 but an eagle on the tenth brought his round to life and when he added a birdie on the 12th, with Korhonen making one of his own on the 13th, there was a three-way tie for the lead.
That did not last long as Dredge bounced back with a beautiful approach to the fourth but the Welshman got in trouble off the tee on the sixth, while Elvira had a roller coaster finish with bogeys on the 13th and 15th and a birdie on the 16th.
Korhonen parred his way home and while Campillo reeled off eight pars in a row, he birdied the ninth to get in on the act before Aiken and Sullivan made late charges.
Sullivan began his round with ten straight pars and all his frustration came out in a big celebration on the second that set up a 68. The Englishman went on to birdie the fourth, seventh and eighth - courtesy of a tee-shot to three feet - to get to eight under.
Aiken had made a strong start with birdies on the tenth and 11th but then made 13 pars before he birdied the seventh and ninth.
This is my first on the European Tour. I think that's five in total. This is definitely the most memorable - Chris Paisley
Bjerregaard fired a 68 while Hanson and Wall were both bogey-free in rounds of 69. Im also signed for a 69 with Dunne recording a 70.
Chilean Felipe Aguilar, South African pair Ernie Els and Dylan Frittelli, Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin and Swede Alex Noren were then at six under.
Englishman Paisley recorded the third hole-in-one of the season as he holed a nine-iron from 135 yards on the 17th to win 150,000 US dollars to spend in Qatar Duty Free.
"I decided to go with a little nine iron," he said. "I just hit it perfectly and when it landed, I said, 'go in', and it did. I'm delighted.
"This is my first on the European Tour. I think that's five in total. This is definitely the most memorable.
"I don't think it's going to be me that's spending it. My wife's here this week so I think she'll probably take care of that."
