Stephen Leaney fired a bogey-free 66 to set the clubhouse target on day one of the Fiji International at Natadola Golf Course.
The Australian is a four-time winner on the European Tour but was making his first appearance on Tour outside of his homeland since 2009.
The 47 year old won his first title at the Moroccan Open in 1998 and claimed the TNT Dutch Open later that season, a tournament he won again in 2000.
His last win came at the Linde German Masters in 2002 but he rolled back the years on Thursday to get to six under as the European Tour made its first visit to Fiji for the third edition of the country's biggest sporting event.
Fellow Australians Damien Jordan and Jason Norris were then at five under with another Australian in Ryan Haller a further shot back.
American former Ryder Cup star Boo Weekley was then in a group of five players three shots off the lead.
Leaney turned in 32 thanks to birdies on the third, sixth, eighth and ninth and added further gains on the 11th and 17th to hit the summit.
Norris had been the first man to set the target from the first group out and he made the early running with a hat-trick of birdies from the third. A run of 11 pars followed but he finished strongly with two birdies to hit the front before he was leapfrogged by Leaney.
Jordan was making his European Tour debut and he got off to a bogey-free start with gains on the fourth, sixth, seventh, 12th and 17th.
Haller made a flying start with birdies on the second, third, fifth and sixth but then recorded back-to-back bogeys before picking up a shot on the ninth. Further gains on the 12th and 18th sandwiched a bogey on the 16th.
Weekley was hoping to follow in the footsteps of countryman Matt Kuchar who won the event last year and he made a bright start from the tenth, turning in 34 before making three birdies and two bogeys on the front nine.
Fellow American Ryan Carter was also at three under alongside Australians Ben Eccles, Aron Price and Todd Sinnott.
Home hero Vijay Singh was then in a group of nine players four shots off the lead.
