Guido Migliozzi rediscovered his form in brilliant fashion to set the clubhouse target on day one of the 2020 Oman Open.
The Italian enjoyed a stunning 2019 rookie campaign on the Race to Dubai, winning twice after coming through the Qualifying School to make it all the way to the season ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
He achieved a best Rolex Series finish with a top ten at the Turkish Airlines Open but round three in Antalya was last time he had gone bogey free before his 66 at Al Mouj Golf moved him to six under.
His opening effort was also his first sub 70 round of a 2020 Race to Dubai that has so far brought three missed cuts but the 23-year-old was showing all the class that has made him a major rising star on the European Tour.
South African Brandon Stone was at five under, a shot clear of English pair Ross Fisher and Andy Sullivan, and Spaniard Adrian Otaegui.
Sullivan set the early pace after starting on the tenth, birdieing the 11th, 12th, 15th and 16th to turn in 32 and get to four under.
Stone and Migliozzi were playing together in the group in front of Sullivan and while they did not start as quickly, they passed him at the top of the leaderboard after the turn.
Migliozzi made gains on the tenth and 12th and, after a run of seven pars, he birdied the second and left himself five feet on the third to join the lead.
Stone holed a very long putt at the fourth to add to birdies on the tenth, 14th and 18th but Migliozzi followed him in from over 20 feet to take the solo lead - thanking Stone for showing him the line.
Stone then took advantage of the par five seventh from 15 feet to join the lead but, after getting up and down to save par on the eighth, Migliozzi left himself eight feet on the ninth and edged back ahead.
Sullivan parred his way home to join Otaegui in the clubhouse two off the lead.
The two time European Tour winner birdied the fourth, sixth and seventh but bogeyed the eighth to turn in 34 before picking up a shot on the 15th.
He had to fight to save par at the next but birdied the 17th from 20 feet to sign for a 68.
Fisher bounced back from bogeys at the 11th and 15th with birdies at the 12th and 16th but really came to life on his second nine, picking up shots on the second, third, seventh and ninth.
Dutchman Joost Luiten - the 2018 winner - was three shots off the lead alongside Portugal Masters champion Steven Brown, Amundi Open de France champion Nicolas Colsaerts and Callum Shinkwin.
