Josh Geary, Sam Horsfield and Hunter Stewart all made fast starts to take a share of the early lead on a low-scoring first morning of the Made in Denmark.
The rookie trio all moved to five under on a cool, damp day at Silkeborg Ry Golf Club, one shot clear of English pair Richard McEvoy and Jonathan Thomson, and Australian Brett Rumford.
In the race for the final automatic qualifying place for the Ryder Cup Team, local hero Thorbjørn Olesen knows that a tie for seventh with one other or better will secure his place at Le Golf National.
The in-form 28 year old made a single birdie on the 12th to turn in 35, four shots off the lead.
Horsfield is enjoying a productive debut season the European Tour, sitting 60th on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex since winning the first card at Qualifying School.
The Englishman hit the very first shot of the day off the first on Thursday and birdies on the third, fifth, 11th, 12th and 13th put him in a share of the lead.
Stewart got off to an even faster start, birdieing his first five holes from the tenth to surge up the leaderboard.
The American made a splash by being in contention heading into the weekend on his debut at the Nordea Masters two weeks ago and a top ten at the D+D Real Czech Masters means he is teeing it up for the third week in a row.
Q-School graduate Geary continued the theme of birdie runs, the Kiwi making four in a row from the fifth to follow an early gain at the third.
Recent winner McEvoy made two birdies and an eagle in his first eight holes while Q-School graduate Thomson birdied the third, fourth, fifth and seventh in his first seven.
Six-time European Tour winner Rumford followed and eagle on the 12th with birdies on his next two holes to get to four under through seven.
Thomas Pieters won this event in 2016 en route to earning a Captain's Pick for the Ryder Cup and he is aiming to do the same again after three top tens in his last four starts.
The Belgian was another to make four birdies in a row, starting with the 11th but he bogeyed the 18th.
Fellow Belgians Nicolas Colsaerts and Thomas Detry, local favourites Lucas Bjerregaard and Lasse Jensen, English trio Ashley Chesters, James Morrison and Danny Willett, and Australian Jason Norris were also three under.
