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.
Unhappy Manchester United fans have witnessed something unseen at Old Trafford in half a century on Wednesday as their side lost 3-2 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion in the third round of the League Cup after going two goals up.
Hansi Flick has become the first Barcelona manager to win the club’s opening seven competitive matches of a season as the LaLiga leaders thrashed Racing Santander 7-2 at Camp Nou on Wednesday to move three points clear of second-placed Real Madrid.
The Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will host a Sprint race for the first time in 2027, organisers Ethara Live have confirmed following the release of the calendar.
Stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma headline India's One-Day International squad for their upcoming home series against the West Indies, while Vipraj Nigam has replaced injured spinner Varun Chakaravarthy in the Asian Games squad.