Rafa Cabrera Bello maintained his lead on day two of the UBS Hong Kong Open but Danny Willett was hot on his heels after carding a second-round 66.
Cabrera Bello came into the second round with a one-shot lead after an opening 64 and extended that to two in his first four holes with birdies on the second and third as he looks to finish 2016 with a first win in almost five years.
Sam Brazel was also off to a fast start, though, and he was three under for his first seven holes at Hong Kong Golf Club to sit just a shot off the lead at seven under.
Masters Tournament winner Willett was then at six under alongside American Paul Peterson, who was two under for his first six holes, and England's Tommy Fleetwood, who birdied two of his first three.
Willett opened his second round with a bogey on the 11th but a hat-trick of birdies followed from the 12th and when he rolled in a six-footer on the 17th, he was within striking distance of the lead.
He hit the summit courtesy of an approach to four feet on the second and while he dropped a shot on the fifth, a closing birdie on the tenth got him back to six under.
Brazel made a blistering start to his round with a birdie on the 12th and eagle on the 13th to get to seven under and the outright lead but Cabrera Bello made those two early birdies to get to eight under and a bogey from Brazel on the 15th gave him a two-shot advantage.
The Australian then made another birdie on the 17th and the gap was back down to one.
D+D REAL Czech Masters champion Peterson had birdies on the third and fourth as he followed up an opening 66, while Fleetwood had gains on the second and third.
Thongchai Jaidee was then at five under after three birdies and a bogey in a 68, alongside Taiwan's Chien-yao Hung.
Danny Chia of Malaysia was also five under after six holes with birdies on the first, third, fourth and sixth.
American Peter Uihlein had been in a share of the lead on two occasions after birdies on the 11th, 13th, third and sixth but they were cancelled out by bogeys on the 18th, first, seventh and ninth to leave him at four under.
Countryman Daniel Im, Spaniard Carlos Pigem and France's Benjamin Hebert were also four off the lead, with Hebert producing an exquisite flop shot to make an eagle on the third.
Defending champion Justin Rose carded a second-round 69 to sit at one under.
