Ivan Cantero and Keenan Davidse both fired personal-record rounds on the DP World Tour to share the lead after day one of the Jonsson Workwear Open.
Home favourite Davidse matched his lowest round to par with a 64 to set the early target at eight under and it looked a tough score to match on an uncharacteristically windy day at Glendower Golf Club.
But Spaniard Cantero finished his round with a pair of birdies to beat his previous lowest score by two shots and make it a tie at the top of a leaderboard dominated by home stars.
South African trio Oliver Bekker, Louis de Jager and Thriston Lawrence were a shot off the lead in the final event of the International Swing.
Davidse has had to overcome personal tragedy in recent weeks, with his coach and his aunty both sadly passing away within days of each other last month.
He has also been candid about his wife's struggles with anxiety and depression and revealed he felt "blessed to be here today".
On the course, he has followed a top ten at the NMB Championship on the European Challenge Tour with a top 20 at last week's SDC Championship and believes he can be even better if he can keep the bogeys off the card.
"I would definitely take that score," he said.
"I made 27 birdies last week to finish 16th, five under for the tournament. I made nine birdies today and one bogey. I told myself, 'if you eliminate the bogeys and the mistakes you can score', because I make enough birdies."
Starting on the tenth, Davidse made gains on his opener and the 11th and 14th before a hat-trick of birdies from the 17th sent him flying up the leaderboard.
He recorded his only blemish of the day on the second but responded by picking up shots on the third, fourth and sixth.
Cantero came through the Qualifying School in 2018 but made just five cuts in 21 events in his maiden season and missed his first seven this campaign after graduating from the Challenge Tour.
He snapped that run in Kenya and after also making the weekend last week, confidence is now high as he looks for a first DP World Tour win.
"I started really bad this season," he said. "I had no confidence in my first tournaments, my game was not good.
"Now I'm starting again to hit good drives and good putts and my confidence is good again and I'm happy with my score."
He was also quick to credit the brother of fellow DP World Tour star Pablo Larrazábal for his improved putting.
"I made all the putts, it was amazing," he said. "I've started to work with Alejandro Larrazábal and I'm happy with my work."
Cantero birdied the second and fourth before making three in a row from the sixth to the eighth.
Two more followed on the 11th and 12th and while he dropped a shot on the next, his big finish saw him join Davidse at the summit.
Lawrence also finished birdie-birdie to go with four further gains, an eagle and a bogey, Bekker came home in 31 in his 65 and De Jager was bogey-free.
Three more South Africans in last week's runner-up Robin Williams, Jacques Kruyswijk and Shaun Norris were at six under alongside Englishman Jordan Smith, one clear of a group of ten players three shots off the lead.
