Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy are tied for second place at the midway point at the DP World Tour Championship, three strokes behind pace-setter Nicolai Hojgaard.
Lowry and McIlroy recorded rounds of 67 and 69 respectively on Friday and are part of a five-way grouping on nine-under-par, alongside Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose, New Zealand's Daniel Hillier and Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson.
As on Thursday, where he began with four birdies on the trot, Lowry got off to a quick start, birdieing the opening two holes, the first after draining a 39-footer and the second after stitching his approach to 3ft.
Cracking iron shots set up further birdies on the fifth and seventh holes to reach the turn in 32, eight-under-par overall.
He rolled in a 12-footer for birdie at the back of the 11th though his momentum stalled slightly after that. Still, he parred his way home to record a blemish-free five-under 67.
McIlroy, six-under overnight, had a more uneven day, tossing in three dropped shots alongside six birdies.
He opened with a bogey after missing the fairway left at the first hole but responded with a birdie on the second. He birdied three of four holes around the turn, although a bogey on the par-four eighth was sandwiched in between them.
Another dropped stroke arrived after finding the fairway bunker at the 12th. He rallied with back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 to climb to nine-under.
He endured travails up the par-five 18th, pulling a wretched lie in the rough and only being able to hack the ball 30 yards down the left side. He scrambled well from there, sinking a seven-foot par putt for a 69.
His hold on the Race to Dubai looks secure, with Tyrrell Hatton the only realistic challenger, the Englishman carding a 67 to get to seven-under. Hatton would need to win this weekend with McIlroy finishing outside the top eight to claim the title.
The Holywood native said: "I had to battle a little more today.
"I felt like I showed my scoring skills today and battled well and stayed patient, and got the ball up-and-down when I needed to.
"And overall, to shoot 69, I'm pretty pleased considering some of the spots that I found myself."
Hojgaard, a Ryder Cup player in Rome, opened up a three-shot gap at the top of the leaderboard after a exceptional, blemish-free 65, decorated by an eagle at the par-five second hole.
Ryder Cup legend Rose joins McIlroy and Lowry on nine-under after a blistering start where he birdied five of the first six holes, parring his way home thereafter, making a miraculous par save on 14 after finding water.
Tommy Fleetwood is one stroke behind the Irish duo in the group on eight-under after a frustrating round of 71, in which he failed to record a single birdie. An early eagle on the second was followed by 15 pars and his sole bogey of the week so far on the 12th.
Tom McKibbin is five strokes adrift of McIlroy and Lowry after a second consecutive round of 70 left him in a tie for 21st on four under.
