Keegan Bradley's dream first year in big-time golf continued as he set the pace in the first round of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
The 25 year old American, whose play-off victory at the US PGA Championship in August came in the first Major of his life, was six under par with two holes to play.
That put him two shots ahead of Thai Thongchai Jaidee, Korean K J Choi and Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas.
Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell were among those one further back, while Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy stood two under.
This time last year Bradley was graduating from the Nationwide Tour in the United States, but he is now a star of the game.
Only last month he beat the season's other Major winners McIlroy, Charl Schwartzel and Darren Clarke to lift the PGA Grand Slam and he continued that form in only his second WGC event.
Playing with Westwood and Australian Adam Scott, he started with a birdie on the 401 yard tenth, added another on the long 14th and then holed a 15 foot eagle putt at the 538 yard 18th.
Further shots were then picked up on the second and fifth.
"It's been a great season," he said on the eve of the event.
"Realistically, just keeping my (US PGA Tour) card would have been good enough.
"Every week I play out here I kind of have to pinch myself."
Westwood came close to an albatross at the 594 yard 14th, his approach over the water hitting the flag and stopping less than two feet away.
McDowell reached four under early on, triple-bogeyed the short 17th after hitting his tee shot into the bushes right of the green, but then came back from a bogey at the first with three birdies in the next four.
Bradley posted a seven under 65 after adding another birdie with a seven foot putt on the long eighth, but his lead remained two with his compatriot Bo Van Pelt, winner in Malaysia on Sunday, and Swede Alex Noren moving into joint second.
Last year's runner-up Westwood also birdied the eighth for a 69, the same as McDowell and Kaymer, but Poulter closed with a bogey and had to settle for a 70 like McIlroy.
