It was first blood to Martin Kaymer as he went head to head with Graeme McDowell in their battle to be crowned The Race to Dubai champion.
After both had scrambled pars at the opening hole of the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World the 25 year old German, €290,911 ahead in the race, sank a six foot birdie putt at the long next.
Then, on the 452 yard third, his seven iron approach rolled into the cup for an eagle two that instantly lifted him into a share of third place.
McDowell, who could not afford to finish worse than third, had a lucky break on the second when his own chip hit Kaymer's ball and finished closer to the hole than would have otherwise been the case.
But he failed to make his eight foot attempt and so remained level par.
That was five behind early leader Noh Seung-yul, the 19 year old Korean turning in 33 and then picking up further shots at the 12th and 16th.
Playing partner Thongchai Jaidee was one behind, while former Ryder Cup stars Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia were in the clubhouse with three under par rounds of 69 - Garcia after birdies at the first two holes and then the last three.
Kaymer and McDowell are both trying for an incredible €2,000,000 jackpot on Sunday - €910,348 from the tournament itself and then a €1,092,418 bonus for topping the money list.
They are the only two contenders for that, although another duel involves Lee Westwood, the man who did the double on the same Earth course last year.
With a top two finish Kaymer could dethrone Westwood as World Number One, but the Englishman had also birdied the second and at that point they were joint 12th.
Stenson, whose best previous performance this season was finishing joint third at The Open Championship in July, stood fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking after capturing The Players Championship in Florida last year, but is now down at 49th.
"I won The Players on Bermuda grass, but it's not my favourite surface," said Stenson, whose hopes of retaining his Ryder Cup place were ended by a virus that he tried to play through.
Kaymer's eagle - from 192 yards - came at virtually the same moment as South African Charl Schwartzel's hole-in-one, also with a seven iron, at the 166 yard sixth.
McDowell almost found the cup as well when he came to the hole, but his tap-in birdie got him no closer to Kaymer, who made a six footer.
The US PGA Championsihp winner had bogeyed the short fourth, however, so he was back to three under - two ahead of McDowell, but three behind Noh, whose closing birdie set the new target of 66.
Westwood, meanwhile, was alongside McDowell on one under.McDowell returned to level par with a bogey on the 499 yard par four ninth and that was eight off the pace now being set by Swede Robert Karlsson.
An eagle on the 626 yard 14th and birdies at the 16th and 17th meant Karlsson needed a four on the 620 yard last to break Westwood's year-old course record of 64.
He was two in front of Noh and four clear of third-placed Jaidee, while Kaymer turned in joint fourth spot at three under and Westwood was one further back.
