Shaun Norris and Renato Paratore are on top of the leaderboard after the opening round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA.
They shot matching scores of eight under par 64 to lead Brooks Koepka and Australia's Jason Scrivener by two shots going into Friday's second round.
World number one Koepka, who is playing for the first time since recovering from a knee injury, says he's feeling good heading into the weekend.
Paratore, who in 2015 became the first player in European Tour history to score a four on every hole at the Open de France, is looking for his second European Tour victory having won the Nordea Masters in 2017.
Norris, who carded an impressive nine birdies on day one, is seeking his first European Tour win after an impressive season on the Japan Tour, where he won and had four runner-up finishes.
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