Jamie Donaldson was inspired playing alongside defending champion and Ryder Cup hero Graeme McDowell on The European Tour's return to The Celtic Manor Resort.
Trying to be the first home winner of the Saab Wales Open in its 12-year history, Welshman Donaldson birdied his first three holes and added another on the driveable 15th - his fifth - to be four under par and leading by one.
But McDowell was going well too at the scene of his two triumphs last year, although he did bogey the 16th - the hole where his birdie against Hunter Mahan last October will live long in the memory.
He had eagled the 377 yard 15th and after eight holes was two under and in a tie for eighth place.
Cup team-mate Peter Hanson was the third member of the group and four successive birdies by the Swede from the 13th lifted him to three under and into joint second with England's Richard Bland, Irishman Damien McGrane, Swede Oskar Henningsson, South African Keith Horne and Australian Daniel Gaunt.
McDowell and Hanson are two of four members of Colin Montgomerie's 2010 Ryder Cup side in the field. Miguel Angel Jiménez was among the later starters like Montgomerie, but Ross Fisher came back from bogeys at the 12th and 13th with birdies at the 15th, 16th and long 18th, where his long eagle putt stopped just before the cup.
It is a big week for Fisher. At 52nd in the Official World Golf Ranking he tried and failed to qualify for the US Open Championship on Monday, but a move back into the top 50 by the end of next week will get him to Congressional.
Former Open Champion John Daly, who like McDowell missed the halfway cut at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last week, bogeyed the 14th and 16th to be two over.
After all the rain that forced The Ryder Cup into an extra day for the first time back in October, there was bright sunshine for the start of the event.
Donaldson bogeyed the 465 yard first - his ninth - and handed over top spot to Horne, three times a winner in his home country and runner-up in last year's Joburg Open on The European Tour.
The 29 year old - who did not turn professional until five years ago after spending time in the army and then as an industrial relations officer - led by one from Henningsson, Bland and Hanson, whose fifth birdie in seven holes came when he pitched to within a foot of the flag on the long second.
McDowell remained two under, but Fisher was in two bunkers on the first and bogeyed to slip back to level par.
