Tommy Fleetwood and fellow Englishman Aaron Rai share the lead at the halfway stage of the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after wowing the crowds at Yas Links on day two.
First-round co-leader Fleetwood made a lightning-quick start on Friday as he opened with a hat-trick of birdies before going on to sign for a 66.
The two-time former winner and reigning FedEx Cup champion made a total of seven birdies, with his only bogey of the week so far coming on the 15th.
Joining Fleetwood on 14 under par was World Number 30 Rai, who fired a breathtaking albatross and five birdies in a flawless 64.
The highlight of Rai's round came at the par-five second, where he holed his approach shot from 218 yards with a six iron to land the rarest of birds.
The pair sit two shots clear of nearest challengers Andy Sullivan, Nicolai Højgaard and Richard Sterne, with 2019 winner Shane Lowry among those another stroke further back.
Fleetwood, who won this event in 2017 and 2018, started the day in a five-way tie for the lead but found himself in the chasing pack by the time he began his second round as early starter Nacho Elvira made three birdies on the front nine.
But the Ryder Cup star soon caught up as he birdied each of the first three holes to grab a share of the lead.
Fleetwood hit the front on his own courtesy of a close-range birdie on the par-five seventh before picking up another shot on the 11th to reach 13 under par.
His playing partner Lowry caught him at the summit with a birdie on the 13th but the Irishman surrendered a double bogey on the next to slip down the leaderboard.
Meanwhile, Fleetwood found a birdie from ten feet at the 14th to open up a two-shot lead.
But a bogey followed on the 15th and although he birdied the next hole from 12 feet, Fleetwood had to settle for a share of the lead with Rai.
He said: "Really good day. I got off to the perfect start. Birdie, birdie, birdie.
"That was good, especially when you've had a good round the day before. They always say it's hard to follow up a good round with another good one, or a low one with another one.
"Starting well was really important. I just did a really good job. I hit a lot of good shots but a few times today I drove it into the rough and we read the lies really well.
"I felt like we did a great job of controlling the ball out of the rough, and that was really pleasing. I feel like I putted solid again. Six under was a very good score."
Rai also made a stunning start, with his albatross on the second catapulting him up the leaderboard.
He kept up the momentum with a birdie from almost 30 feet at the sixth before adding further birdies on the seventh and 11th.
Rai then finished with a flourish, draining his 26-foot birdie effort on the 17th before taking advantage of the long 18th to get to 14 under.
He said: "It was really good. Struck it really well tee-to-green. Had a lot of chances. Just felt very stress-free overall.
"Yeah, it was just a very solid, productive day."
On his albatross, Rai added: "I think we had about 185 yards to the front. The wind was a little bit down off the left and that green is so fast, and slopes front-to-back, that anything pitching a few yards onto the green always gets down to the bottom.
"I actually caught it a little bit clean off the face, the line was great. I think it probably pitched around the front edge and chased its way down there. We couldn't see it from back on the fairway, so it was a nice surprise."
