Justin Walters carded a sparkling bogey free 64 to set the clubhouse target before play was suspended as the European Tour made its return to The Belfry on day one of the 2020 ISPS HANDA UK Championship.
The final event of the UK Swing brought the Tour back to the storied four time Ryder Cup venue for the first time in 12 years and the impressive field was greeted by very heavy rain as the day progressed, with play suspended due to flooding in the early afternoon.
But South African Walters made the most of the early conditions, carding six birdies and an eagle to lead the way at eight under, three shots clear Frenchman Benjamin Hebert, Swede Joel Sjöholm, Zimbabwean Scott Vincent and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.
Scotland's Calum Hill also moved to five under after 16 holes before the hooter sounded to bring the players off.
After a delay of just over four hours, play resumed at 6.15pm local time.
There were emotional scenes as Walters kept his card by finishing second at last season's Portugal Masters and he entered this week at 156th on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, but that does not tell the whole story.
He has missed the cut by just a single shot in three of his last four events on the UK Swing but finally saw the pendulum swing his way in the English Midlands.
The 39-year-old birdied the second, third, sixth and ninth to turn in 32 but he had Wiesberger alongside him after the seven time European Tour winner picked up shots on the third, fourth, sixth and seventh.
The duo continued to go blow for blow as Wiesberger birdied the 11th and 13th, with Walters making gains on the same holes.
Walters found the rough to the side of the green at the par five 15th but produced an exquisite pitch over a bunker that found the cup for an eagle, with a Wiesberger bogey on the last after finding the sand handing him a three shot advantage.
Leads by 2 @jwaltersgolf 👏#ISPSHANDAUKChampionship
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 27, 2020
The course record of 63 looked under serious threat but, as the heavens opened, Walters will have been pleased to get in with three closing pars.
Sjöholm set a blistering early pace from the first group of the day with birdies on the second, third, fifth and sixth.
He made further gains on the tenth and 13th but dropped a shot on the 16th to drop back to five under, a pattern that was mirrored by Vincent.
The 28-year-old also got to six under as he cancelled out a bogey on the fourth with gains on the second, seventh, eighth, 11th, 12th, 13th and 17th but bogeyed the last.
Hebert was bogey free in his 67, making birdies on the second, third, tenth, 15th and 17th.
Hill made an eagle on the par five third to go with birdies on the second, ninth, tenth and 16th, and a single dropped shot on the 12th.
Ross Fisher had found himself at six under after making four birdies in a row from the 14th but he found the water on the last for a double bogey.
That left him at four under alongside fellow Englishman David Dixon, two time Major Champion Martin Kaymer, Welshman Rhys Enoch, Swede Marcus Kinhult and Australian Wade Ormsby.
