Richard Green fired a five under par 67 to take the early clubhouse lead at the Nordea Scandanavian Masters.
The Australian, a two-time winner on The European Tour, hit an eight iron to three feet for a seventh birdie of the day on the 407 yard last to take the outright lead.
"My driving was exceptionally good," he said. "A friend brought one out from the UK that I've used before, so hopefully it will keep working like that."
The Barclays Scottish Open champion Edoardo Molinari also made a great start by moving into a share of second on four under.
A high finish at the spectacular Bro Hof Slott course on Sunday will lift the 29 year old Italian into a top nine spot on Europe's Ryder Cup table alongside his brother Francesco.
On greens he rates the best he has played on The European Tour and as good as those at Augusta National, Molinari shot a four under par 68 to be only one behindleft-hander Green.
"I don't put too much pressure on myself to qualify," he said. "If I make the team great, but if I don't it's still the best year of my career and I won't be upset.
"To make the Ryder Cup is something very difficult, especially considering I was playing The Challenge Tour last year.
"It would be fabulous, but I don't want to think about it too much."
Out in the first group of the day at 7.20am Molinari out-scored playing partner Rickie Fowler, the young American who might yet earn a debut as well at The Celtic Manor Resort in October, by five.
Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen was among the later starters - and despite a wind picking up and a storm brewing he kicked off with a birdie.
Molinari shared second spot with Swede Steven Jeppesen and Argentina's Rafa Echenique. They had two and four holes to play respectively.
Former Ryder Cup ace Jesper Parnevik, in his first event back from a career-threatening fractured vertebrae in February, managed a three over 75, but said: "I played better than I thought I would."
The biggest danger to Green's position at the top was Korean KJ Choi, who with a front nine 33 and then a birdie at the 430 yard tenth joined Molinari and Jeppesen in second place.
Oosthuizen, playing with no pressure after what he did at the weekend, moved up to four under and joint second with three to play.
