Grégory Havret made a blistering start to the Tshwane Open, turning in 29 to open up a two-shot lead early on day one at Pretoria Country Club.
The Frenchman is looking for a first win in nine years, and six birdies in his first nine holes got him to six under, two clear of Finn Mikko Korhonen and Scot Duncan Stewart.
Another Scot, Richie Ramsay, and Englishman Matthew Southgate were then at three under, a shot clear of a group of eight players.
Havret birdied the second and then a hat-trick of gains from the fourth saw him move to the top of the leaderboard, with further gains on the eighth and ninth - courtesy of a lengthy putt from off the green - putting him in control.
Korhonen birdied the first and made more gains on the fourth, sixth and seventh to sit four under after eight holes, while Stewart had started on the back nine and turned in 32 with four birdies, staying at that mark after ten holes.
Ramsay also started on the tenth and overcame a double-bogey on the par five 12th with birdies on the 11th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th.
Southgate was another man with a blemish on his card after a bogey on the 13th but he added gains on the 12th, 14th, 16th and 17th to turn in 33.
English quartet Robert Dinwiddie, Oliver Fisher, James Morrison and Robert Rock, home favourites Haydn Porteous, Lyle Rowe and Justin Walters, and Portuguese José-Filipe Lima then made up the group four off the lead.
