Matt Wallace made a flying start to open up a three-shot lead on the third morning of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
The Englishman is looking for a fourth win of the season but first in a Rolex Series event and a birdie-birdie-birdie start in his first four holes moved him to 14 under.
Spaniard Adrian Otaegui and England's Jordan Smith were then at 11 under, a shot clear of last week's winner Lee Westwood, two-time champion Rory McIlroy, Major Champion Danny Willett, South African Dean Burmester and Belgian Thomas Pieters.
Tommy Fleetwood needs a win at Jumeirah Golf Estates to have a chance of retaining his Race to Dubai title but he started with six pars to sit six shots off the lead.
A finish of fifth with one other will see Francesco Molinari take the season-long crown and he was six under with three holes to play.
Full of confidence after last week's stunning victory at the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player, Westwood got off to a flying start.
He missed the green on the first but pulled out the putter and holed a long left-to-righter, before holing from six and four feet on the next two for three opening birdies.
An approach to 12 feet on the fifth then had him at nine under where he was joined by Burmester, who birdied the first, and Kiradech Aphibarnrat who made a gain on the second.
Burmester holed a 14-footer on the second, with playing partner Patrick Reed also making the most of the par five, but the leading groups had fast starts of their own.
Otaegui holed a six-footer on the first to join the lead but in the group behind, Wallace also made his birdie from 15 feet.
Smith had ten feet for eagle on the second and took his birdie but he was soon two back as Wallace got down in two from 35 feet.
McIlroy made remarkable par saves on the third and fourth but registered his first birdie of the day from 18 feet on the fifth and then holed an excellent putt from the fringe on the next.
Pieters joined him at ten under with birdies on the second, third, seventh and ninth but that was soon four back as an excellent bunker shot set up a third consecutive birdie for Wallace.
The leader's long putt at the fourth was bang on line but bounced up off the back of the cup and he stayed at 14 under and three clear of the pack.
Westwood had good looks at birdie at the sixth, seventh and eighth and eventually made another one count at the 11th to get to ten under.
Willett started his round with four pars.
Reed dropped a shot on the fourth to slip back to nine under alongside Aphibarnrat, defending champion Jon Rahm and Swede Alex Noren.
