Callum Shinkwin showed no signs of rust after his five-week break as he fired a six under par 66 to hold the first-round lead at the D+D REAL Czech Masters.
The Englishman had not played since missing the cut at the Open Championship but arrived at Albatross Golf Resort full of confidence having finished second at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open the week before.
He recorded eight birdies in morning session and with rain arriving for the second wave, nobody could catch him at the top of the leaderboard.
South African Dylan Frittelli, Swede Pontus Widegren and Englishman James Heath were then at five under, a shot clear of Felipe Aguilar, Jaco Ahlers, Chris Hanson, Peter Karmis, Craig Lee, Oscar Lengden, James Morrison and last week's winner Julian Suri.
"I played pretty well, it was a solid start," said Shinkwin. "I played the par fives well, I kept the ball in play and holed my fair share of putts.
"I've had five weeks off but the confidence has still been there, even when playing at home. I didn't do too much the first two weeks but then I got out there and I was still swinging it quite well which was quite nice.
"My iron play to be fair was probably my strongest part but everything was good, and if everything is good you can't really score bad.
"I'll just keep trying to do what I have been doing. I'll warm up the same, I'll try and sleep the same as well and hopefully the weather holds up."
Shinkwin birdied the first but gave the shot straight back on the third before making further gains on the fourth, fifth, ninth and tenth. Another birdie on the 13th saw him lead on his own but he dropped a shot on the next after finding trouble off the tee before putting his tee-shot to five feet on the 16th to share the lead again.
A closing left-to-righter from 20 feet then gave him a round of 66 and the lead on his own.
Frittelli - the LYONESS OPEN powered by ORGANIC+ champion - started on the back nine and birdied the tenth, 11th and 14th before a double-bogey on the 16th threatened to derail his progress. The 27 year old recovered admirably, birdieing the 18th, fourth, sixth and ninth to get within a shot of the lead.
Qualifying School graduate Widegren turned in 33 with birdies on the 14th, 15th and 17th before adding gains on the first, seventh and ninth to go with a single blemish on the third.
Heath turned in 35 with three birdies and two bogeys but caught fire after the turn, birdieing the tenth, 12th, 13th and 14th.
American Suri made three bogeys in a roller coaster 68, South African Ahlers dropped two shots, countryman Karmis, England's Hanson and Scot Lee got round with a single blemish while Chilean Aguilar, Swede Lengden and England's Morrison were bogey-free.
Defending champion Paul Peterson was then alongside 2014 winner Jamie Donaldson in a group of 14 players at three under.
