Jonathan Porteous and Sean McNamara are neck and neck going into today's second round of the season-ending Mena Tour championship.
Both carded a six-under-par 65 to share the lead in the fourth and final tournament at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club.
"I played steady and didn't make many mistakes," said Britain's Porteous. "I made just one bogey when I three-putted on the par-three 13th, the only disappointment of the day.
"It feels nice to make such a solid start, but I will have to keep the momentum going in the remaining rounds."
McNamara also was pleased with his day's work.
"I putted well and most of my approaches were within 10 feet of the pin and that made the difference," he said.
The two hold a one-shot lead over Peter Richardson, the Order of Merit leader; Jake Shepherd and Geoff Lound.
Michael Harradine, the Dubai-based amateur, and Zane Scotland, the winner of the Abu Dhabi Golf Citizen Open, were a further shot behind.
Shepherd, 21, who squandered a five-shot advantage in the final round at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, said: "I am pretty happy with my start, but I know a lot of guys will be doing well in the next two rounds. Nothing can be taken for granted at this moment."
Harradine, whose 67 was the best by an amateur in the field yesterday, said: "I hit a lot of fairways and that was the key to posting a good number."
Ross Canavan, who is placed second on the Order of Merit, hit a 69, level with the UAE's Khalid Yousuf, while Ahmed Al Musharrekh settled for a level-par 71, which included a triple bogey on the par-five 10th.