Jordan Smith came home in a blistering 29 to sign for a 62 and lead by two after day one of the 2021 ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management.
The European Tour, Ladies European Tour and LPGA Tour all welcomed their members to Northern Ireland, with men's and women's events running simultaneously over the same courses for the same prize money.
The field will each play a round at Galgorm Castle and Massereene Golf Clubs over days one and two, with all the action moving to Galgorm Castle at the weekend and cuts being made on Friday and Saturday.
Smith was playing Galgorm Castle and after making a single birdie on the front nine, the Englishman recorded seven on the back to get to eight under and lead the way from German Matthias Schmid and Scotland's David Drysdale.
Japan's Masahiro Kawamura arrived in Co Antrim off the back of a top five in Wales last week and, playing alongside Smith, he carded a 65 to sit at five under.
In the women's event, South Korean Chella Choi, Scot Gemma Dryburgh and American Jennifer Kupcho were tied for the lead at seven under having all played Galgorm Castle.
Smith enjoyed a meteoric rise through the game after turning professional in 2014, winning the EuroPro Tour Order of Merit in 2015 and finishing top of the European Challenge Tour Rankings the following season.
A maiden European Tour title then came in his debut campaign and while he has not yet added to that, he has been one of the most consistent players on the Race to Dubai and finished third at the Made in HimmerLand presented by FREJA in May.
"I've felt like it's been sort of trending in the right way," he said. "It just hasn't all come together at the right point.
"My putting has even been good and my iron play has been good, it's been one or the other, but today it sort of all came together, and more of the same.
"I think the back nine there's a lot more wedges into holes but I think the front nine there's a lot more long irons. There's still a few wedges and obviously you've got a drivable second but that was the difference - just didn't hit the longer clubs close enough."
Smith made an excellent start with a birdie from ten feet at the first but eight pars would follow before he came to life on the back nine.
He made the most of the par five tenth, holed a near 30 footer on the next and when he put an approach to six feet at the 13th, he had caught the clubhouse leaders.
Smart approaches to around ten feet at the next two holes made it a hat-trick before he holed a 22 footer on the 16th and played a beautiful pitch into the par five last to take control.
Schmid arrived this week fresh off winning the Silver Medal at The Open Championship and a top 50 in his professional debut at the Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale.
He drove the green at the par four second and added birdies at the fourth and seventh but the latter was sandwiched by a pair of bogeys.
My putting has even been good and my iron play has been good, it's been one or the other, but today it sort of all came together
A smart up and down at the tenth brought another gain before three nice approaches resulted in a hat-trick from the 12th and he got on the green in two at the last.
The middle of the back nine was proving gettable and Drysdale birdied the 13th, 14th and 16th before an incredible pitch into the last saw him turn in 32.
A lay up at the second helped him make another gain and while he dropped a shot at the next, he holed a long putt at the seventh and hit an approach to four feet at the ninth.
Kawamura turned in level par but was another to thrive on the back nine, birdieing the 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th before finishing with a seventh birdie of the day.
Eddie Pepperell was the only player in the top ten to have played Massereene and he was at four under alongside fellow Englishman Matthew Baldwin, Spanish pair Alejandro Cañizares and Nacho Elvira, Scot Calum Hill and German Max Schmitt.
In the women's event, Dryburgh produced maybe the round of the day with an eagle and five birdies in a bogey free effort.
"I've kind of had to stay patient and I knew a round like this was coming so it was good to see it come out today," she said.
"It's really cool actually to see the guys in front of us and behind us. It's nice to see an innovative event like that."
Choi made six birdies, an eagle and had a single dropped shot in her round, while Kupcho also made one bogey with eight birdies.
American Emma Talley was at six under, a shot clear of countrywoman Sarah Burnham, English pair Georgia Hall and Charley Hull and South Korea's Min Seo Kwak.
