Andrew Dodt set a blistering pace at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open as he fired an opening 66 at Four Seasons Golf Club at Anahita.
The Beau Champs layout had been expected to provide a stern test this week and with the wind getting up on Mauritius' east coast, low scores were at a premium on Thursday morning.
Dodt had not featured on the European Tour since he missed the cut at his defence of the True Thailand Classic Presented by Chang in March but showed no signs of rust as he opened up a two-shot lead over India's Rashid Khan.
Starting on the tenth, the Australian chipped in for birdie after missing the green on his opener and then showed great scrambling skills again as he put a seven iron out of a bunker on the 11th to two feet for another gain.
A bogey on the 14th was followed by a birdie on the next but an eagle on the par five last saw him turn in 32. The two-time winner then bogeyed the second but finished strongly with birdies on the fourth, seventh and ninth to set the clubhouse target.
Khan also started birdie-birdie on the back nine and would make two further gains to go with a brace of bogeys as he turned in a topsy-turvy 34 before a birdie on the first got him to three under.
Another birdie on the third briefly handed him the lead all on his own but he gave the shot back on the sixth before making a gain on the eighth.
Welshman Stuart Manley was also at four under after making a brilliant start with two birdies and an eagle on the 13th in his first five holes.
An eagle on the 18th was the highlight of South African Jbe Kruger's round and he added that to three birdies and three bogeys to sit at two under alongside Thailand's Natipong Srithong.
The 22 year old, who could become the fourth consecutive Asian winner on the European Tour this week, bounced back from a bogey-bogey start with five birdies in his 70.
Defending champion George Coetzee was then in the group at one under alongside fellow South Africans Wallie Coetsee, Louis de Jager and Jaco Van Zyl, Thailand's Thitipun Chuayprakong and England's Ryan Evans, with only ten of the morning starters registering under par rounds.
