An eagle at the par-five 18th helped Fox card a five-under par to sit tied for fourth, two shots behind leader Patrick Reed.
The 30-year-old also carded four birdies and one bogey for a solid round of 67 at the Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Fox - who will be looking to move up from 34th in the European Tour's Race to Dubai rankings - will be chasing American Patrick Reed who carded a bogey-free seven-under par 65.
After struggling with his game in his last few tournaments, Fox said he was happy to play some good golf again.
"[It was] nice to take advantage of some pretty decent golf out there. It's been a little bit of a struggle the last three weeks," Fox told Radio Sport.
"I just haven't been making mistakes. I think this golf course probably suits me a little better than the last couple of weeks."
Fox will tee off for his second round today at 9.30pm (NZT).
