Matthew Jordan delighted the home crowds with a course record 63 that handed him a two shot lead after round one of the Betfred British Masters.
The Merseyside native arrived at Hillside Golf Club on an invite for just his ninth European Tour start but looked like a seasoned veteran as he went blemish free to get to nine under.
Another home favourite in Matt Wallace was at seven under alongside Swede Marcus Kinhult, a shot ahead of Belgian Thomas Detry, Swede Robert Karlsson, Scot Richie Ramsay and England's Lee Westwood.
Tournament host Tommy Fleetwood took big crowds with him despite the wet and cold conditions and he rewarded them with a four under par 68.
Jordan only turned professional in September after an excellent amateur career that included a Walker Cup appearance in 2017.
The 23-year-old made the cut on his European Tour debut at last season's KLM Open and has a best finish of tied for 32nd at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
"I just tried to shoot as low as I could because I thought the guys out there, they are good as well," he said.
"I actually managed to shoot ten under on the Challenge Tour a couple of weeks ago. There I got the feeling how to shoot low. I had shot low previous to this but, on this stage, to go and do it and on this kind of course is impressive, to me, anyway.
"For me it's just experiencing it, learning, seeing the types of courses that they play. I think just being involved in these kind of events just improves you because you've got to go out there and do it. You know those guys are here, so why can't you?
"I got an invitation which I'm very thankful for, just to have the opportunity. I'm quite close to home, I'm staying at home, so I've been able to rest quite well."
Jordan was in a four way tie for the lead after turning in 31 with birdies on the first, second, fourth, sixth and eighth, and he jumped out of that group with further gains on the tenth and 11th.
An eighth birdie of the day came on the 13th and when Jordan hit an excellent approach into the 15th, he led by three.
Kinhult had started his round with three birdies and, after a dropped shot on the seventh, he birdied the tenth, 11th, 14th, 15th and 17th to trim the advantage.
Wallace turned in 32 with birdies on the second, fourth, fifth and seventh and a long putt on the 13th edged him further up the leaderboard. Wonderful approaches into the 15th and 17th set up further gains and Wallace posted the best score of the afternoon.
Detry turned in 34 from the tenth but made a big move on the front nine, birdieing the first, eagling the par five second from just off the green and making a birdie on the third with a double breaker from even further off the putting surface.
Ramsay started birdie-eagle-birdie from the tenth to turn in 32 and added gains on the first and second.
Westwood made an even quicker start with six birdies in his first seven holes before coming home in level par as he recovered from a bogey on the 13th with a 20 footer on the next.
Karlsson was bogey free in his round with birdies on the tenth, 11th, 15th, second, seventh and eighth.
American Sean Crocker and England's Jack Singh Brar were at five under, a shot clear of a group of 11 players including Fleetwood and two time Major Championship winner Marting Kaymer.
