Alvaro Quiros was one of four players in a share of the clubhouse lead as the British Masters supported by Sky Sports got under way at Close House Golf Club.
The Spaniard has endured a roller coaster of a season, entering the year without a card but claiming the seventh European Tour win of his career at the The Rocco Forte Open - Verdura, Sicily.
He missed his next eight cuts to take his total of weekend absences to 13 from 16 events but signed for a six under par 64 to share the lead with Finnish duo Mikko Ilonen and Mikko Korhonen and England's Chris Hanson on day one in the north east.
Both Hanson and Ilonen are looking for a good week at 98th and 107th in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, while Korhonen - like Hanson - is searching for a maiden European Tour win.
Swede Johan Carlsson, England's Lee Slattery and Frenchman Joël Stalter were then at five under.
Quiros birdied the first, third and fourth to share the lead and an eight-footer on the sixth handed him top spot on his own. A run of six pars saw him caught and passed but but he birdied the 13th to get back into a share.
A stunning approach to the 16th and excellent recovery from a poor tee-shot with the help of a deflection off Jason Scrivener's ball on the 17th then had him two ahead before a poor chip on the 18th brought his only bogey of the day.
Hanson made a brilliant start with birdies on the second, third and fourth and had the chance to take the solo lead on the sixth but his eagle putt from the side of the green on the par five missed on the low side. That did not throw him off as he birdied the next but then went bogey-birdie to turn in 30.
A birdie on the 13th was followed by a bogey on the next but an eighth gain of the day on the 16th had him in a share of the lead.
Ilonen - a five-time winner - has long been a picture of consistency and he made birdies on the fifth, ninth, 11th, 13th, 16th and 17th.
Countryman Korhonen is on course for his best season at 83rd in the standings and he recovered from a bogey on the 12th with gains on the 13th, 15th, 16th, 17th, first, fourth and sixth.
Carlsson had set the early pace with birdies on the tenth, 11th and 13th but bogeyed the 16th before making further gains on the 18th, second and third. It's never dull with the 31 year old and he bogeyed the fourth before birdieing the fifth and sixth and dropping another shot on the seventh.
Slattery birdied the 12th, the 17th from 18 feet and hit the pin on the first for three gains in his opening ten holes before adding more birdies on the fourth and sixth.
Stalter was also bogey-free as he made gains on the first, seventh, 12th, 14th and last.
Matthew Fitzpatrick - the 2015 champion - was two off the lead alongside Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Daniel Brooks, Paul Dunne and Florian Fritsch.
World Number Six Rory McIlroy was then in the group at three under.
