Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts broke the course record with a dazzling nine under par 64 at the start of the Volvo Golf Champions at Fancourt in South Africa.
Colsaerts birdied nine of the last 11 holes, including the final four, to establish an early four stroke lead over England's David Horsey, Dutchman Joost Luiten and South African Thomas Aiken.
The tournament brings together last season's winners on The European Tour and most of the big guns were out later in the day.
Ernie Els - not yet exempt for April's Masters Tournament after falling outside the Official World Golf Ranking's top 70 - bogeyed two of his first three holes, but past and present Ryder Cup Captains Colin Montgomerie and José María Olazábal were two under at the turn.
They were both in the elite 35-man field because all those with ten or more European Tour victories qualified as well and Montgomerie was eyeing a chance to become the circuit's oldest-ever winner.
Colsaerts, the biggest hitter in Europe two years ago, won the Volvo China Open last April and then was a semi-finalist at the World Match Play in Spain - another event with the same sponsor.
He was only level par after seven holes, but then had four birdies in a row around the turn and went on to cover the back nine in a seven under 30.
Horsey was happy enough to birdie the 11th, 12th, 14th and 15th, while Aiken still had eight to play and Luiten was partnering Colsaerts.
Padraig Harrington was paired with Els and, although certain of a place in the season's first Major at Augusta, the Irishman is also looking to re-ignite his career after falling all the way to 89th in the world.
He does not yet have a place in the coming two World Golf Championships, but birdies at the short second and long fifth were nice early boosts and he remained two under after seven.
Open Champion Darren Clarke and Masters Tournament winner Charl Schwartzel were the last pair off, but Schwartzel three-putted the second and Clarke did the same on the fourth.
At 596th in the Official World Golf Ranking current Ryder Cup Captain Olazábal is the lowest-ranked player taking part, but he birdied the first and eighth.
Colsaerts had rounds of 62 in Indonesia in 2005 and in the Netherlands two years ago, but both were only eight under and he said: "This is probably the best of my life. It's a serious test of golf.
"I think the longest putt I holed was from 12 feet on the second."
That was the first of four twos on his card as he birdied every par three.
Aiken went to five under, four behind, with a two of his own at the 161 yard 11th and Harrington improved to three under on the tenth, but although Montgomerie did the same there he then double-bogeyed two holes later.
At one under he was still going better than Els, Clarke and Schwartzel. They were one over, two over and three over respectively.
Colsaerts led by three when England's Tom Lewis, out in 33, added birdies on the tenth and 15th, but he followed that with a double bogey.
Lewis is the 21 year old whose opening 65 at Sandwich last July not only gave him a share of the lead, but broke the record for the lowest round ever by an amateur at The Open Championship.
The Englishman then won on only his third professional start at the Portugal Masters to earn a start this week and he was out-scoring playing partner Montgomerie - but only by one after his seven.
That error brought Harrington into a share of second spot on four under, five behind the runaway leader. Alongside the Irishman were Horsey, Luiten, last week's Joburg Open winner Branden Grace and Aiken, who bogeyed the 14th.
Lewis bounced back with two birdies and with a five under 68 was in joint second in the clubhouse with Grace and Aiken, while Harrington was on the same mark with three to play.
Harrington went second on his own when he birdied the 16th, but drove into the bushes on the last and, after taking a penalty drop, three-putted for a double bogey seven and a round of 69.
It left Colsaerts with a four stroke lead over Lewis, Grace and Aiken.
