Marcus Kinhult tamed Le Golf National with a stunning round of 65 that handed him a two-shot lead heading into the weekend at the HNA Open de France.
With a seven million US dollar prize fund on offer at the third Rolex Series event of the year, the Swede picked the perfect time to produce his lowest of round of the season and the lowest round of the week to get to six under.
England's Chris Wood was in second at four under, a shot clear of Spaniard Jon Rahm and Welshman Bradley Dredge.
World Number Two Justin Thomas was then at two under alongside fellow American Julian Suri, England's Matthew Fitzpatrick and local favourite Grégory Havret.
Kinhult graduated from the Qualifying School in 2015 but made just two cuts in his debut campaign, switching to the Challenge Tour and earning a second European Tour season via the Road to Oman in 2017.
After finishing third at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in February, he has made just three of eight cuts since, although one of those was a tie for 12th at the BMW PGA Championship.
The 21 year old started his round on Thursday with four straight bogeys but went ten under for his next 32 to become the first player to start with four dropped shots and hold a 36-hole lead since records began in 2000.
“It feels good, it feels really good,” he said. “I got off to a great start and played well from there. The wind picked up a little bit on the back nine, the last four or five holes or so, but happy overall.
“Saturday is going to be a big day and hopefully Sunday as well. It's a position I have never been in before so we'll see.”
Kinhult birdied the second, made an eagle on the par five third and then picked up another shot on the fourth to very quickly jump into a share of the lead.
Saturday is going to be a big day and hopefully Sunday as well. It's a position I have never been in before so we'll see - Marcus Kinhult
When he holed a 20-footer on the seventh he was the first man this week to get to five under and a stunning tee-shot into the par three eighth left him five feet for another birdie and a two-shot lead.
A 15-foot putt on the 13th had him three ahead but he made a first bogey of the day after finding trouble off the tee on the next. A lovely approach into the 17th then had him back at seven under but he could not get up and down on the last and dropped a shot.
Wood recovered from a bogey-bogey start with gains on the 14th, 15th, 18th, second and ninth in a 68.
“You're going to have to grind over the week,” he said. “It's a great test. I've always loved the golf course but never really been able to produce a score. So it's nice to put a score in today.”
Dredge turned in level par thanks to three birdies, a bogey and a double and was within a shot of the lead when he holed a long putt on the 11th before a bogey-bogey finish.
World Number Five Rahm had a roller coaster on the back nine, sandwiching birdies on the 11th and 13th with a bogey on the tenth and a double on the 15th to turn in 36.
He went birdie-bogey on the first and second but then played the third perfectly, hitting the green in two and holing a 15-footer for eagle. A run of four pars followed before the 23 year old put his tee-shot on the eighth to ten feet for a fourth birdie of the day.
Playing partner Fitzpatrick overcame a double-bogey on the 12th with birdies on the 11th, 13th, 14th, 17th and second, dropping another shot on the seventh.
Thomas was making serene progress as he birdied the third, 11th and 15th but he found the hay on the left of the 17th, flew the green and failed to get up and down in surrendering a double-bogey.
Havret made just six pars in his round to go with seven birdies, four bogeys and a double, while Suri also signed for a 70 with three birdies and two bogeys.
English pair Tyrrell Hatton and Jordan Smith, Spanish duo Pedro Oriol and Alvaro Quiros, Ireland's Paul Dunne, Finn Mikko Ilonen and Scot Russell Knox were one under.
