Nicolas Colsaerts turned in 35 to take a share of the lead early on day two of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The Belgian had started the day at Doha Golf Club a shot behind overnight leaders Adri Arnaus and Justin Walters but he joined them after nine holes to be part of a five way tie for the lead.
Wales' Bradley Dredge was also at five under having played four holes, with Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera in a share of the lead after ten.
Tapio Pulkkanen was then making a big move to sit at four under alongside fellow early starters Nick Cullen, Richie Ramsay and Oliver Wilson.
Starting on tenth, Lorenzo-Vera birdied his opening hole to move into a share and it was soon a four way tie as Colsaerts in the group behind birdied the same hole.
Another Lorenzo-Vera gain on the 14th handed him top spot on his own and while Colsaerts dropped a shot on the 15th, he regained it on the 17th.
Dredge birdied his first to get to five under after four holes and while South African Walters briefly dropped out of that group with a bogey on the second, he quickly picked the shot back up on the next in his first three.
Lorenzo-Vera then bogeyed the first to make it a five way tie, with Spaniard Arnaus among the later starters.
Pulkkanen was playing alongside Colsaerts and he made a big early move, turning in 32 to get to four under.
The Finn started birdie-birdie and while he gave a shot back on the 12th, he made further gains on the 15th, 16th and 18th.
England's Wilson was also four under after six having birdied the first, while Australian Cullen had a single birdie in his first five.
Scot Ramsay parred his first four holes to sit at the same mark.
George Coetzee, Justin Harding and Hugo Leon were also at four under and were due out in the second wave.
Australian Lucas Herbert had to complete his first round on Friday morning and parred his final hole to get to three under, a score he remained at after one hole of round two.
