Richard Green produced an excellent late rally to end his first round in the 3 Irish Open at the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club with the lead.
The Australian, who has previously won two titles in The European Tour, hit a six under par round of 65 to move to the summit of the leaderboard.
Green was in contention throughout, but it was the birdies he produced on the 16th and 18th which moved him ahead of the rest of the field.
And he was delighted with his opening round, admitting the course suits his game perfectly.
"I felt very comfortable when I first saw the course on Tuesday and practised and played very nicely," he said.
"I thought this is a nice old golf course for a change that's a little bit old school. I felt very comfortable out there. I played very nicely today.
"I'm not known as one of the longer hitters out on Tour, and when you get a golf course that feels like the sort of golf course that I grew up on, length wise, putting surfaces, it's nice.
"It's nice to play a golf course like that again."
He leads by just one shot, though, with Darren Clarke, Paul Lawrie and Marcel Siem breathing down his neck after shooting 66 apiece.
Clarke, who will be one of Europe’s vice-captains at The Ryder Cup, birdied the third, seventh and ninth before producing an excellent 12 footer to add another on the 11th.
He then birdied the 16th to end an impressive round, in which he never dropped a shot, on five under par.
Scotsman Lawrie was six under heading into the last hole, but a bogey ensured Green retained the outright lead.
Despite his impressive performance, Siem, whose only win on The European Tour came in the Dunhill Championship in 2004, is refusing to get carried away.
"I felt a bit rusty today I have to say. My wedges, I didn't hit them close at the beginning," he said.
"Then came a little run at the end, three birdies in the end and par on the 18th unfortunately but pretty steady golf, no bogeys.
"Today there's no wind and it's played pretty easy, I have to say. It's a beautiful golf course.
"You can shoot low. But, you know, top three, that's my goal, and, well, you have to shoot low every day."
Francesco Molinari hit just two birdies on the front nine, but four more - combined with a bogey on the 13th - ensured he went into the 18th needing a birdie to move level with Green.
However, he bogeyed the final hole to finish his round on 67 and end four under par.
Tournament favourite Rory McIlroy ended his up and down opening round with three birdies in the last five holes, ensuring he also finished on four under par.
He started wonderfully with four birdies in his opening seven holes, but bogeys on the eighth, ninth, 11th and 12th derailed his progress before his late charge.
