Gary Stal set the clubhouse target on day one of the Trophée Hassan II with an opening 70 at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam.
The Frenchman has achieved just three top tens since beating Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer to the 2015 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship but was back on fine form on a testing day in Morocco.
Stal's three under par total gave him a one-shot lead over countrymen Grégory Bourdy, Clément Sordet and Alexander Levy, South Africans Trevor Fisher Jnr, Dylan Frittelli and Jaco Van Zyl, Swede Pelle Edberg and England's Max Orrin.
Starting on the tenth, Stal turned in 34 with birdies on the 12th, 13th and 18th, and when he also made a gain on the first he was out in front on his own.
He then bogeyed the second to drop to three under but a wonderful pitch to the par five eighth had him ahead again before a disappointing closing bogey.
Levy is one of the European Tour's great entertainers and he produced a show-stopping finish to his 71 after being level par stood on the seventh tee. The three-time winner birdied the seventh and then holed his approach to the eighth for an eagle before a three-putt bogey finish.
Bourdy had also held a share of the lead but he too three-putted the last, while Sordet finished with a birdie in his round.
Frittelli eagled the tenth and when he also made a birdie on the 12th, he had the lead at four under but dropped shots on the 16th and 17th saw him fall back.
Orrin was bogey-free in his effort with birdies on the 12th and 15th, while Edberg and Van Zyl both had a single blemish on their cards.
Fisher Jnr made five birdies and three bogeys in his 71.
Grégory Havret was also two under after turning in 35, alongside James Morrison and Hennie Otto who had both played three holes.
There were then ten players in the clubhouse at one under including multiple winners Mikko Ilonen, Pablo Larrazábal and Matteo Manassero.
