Scott Jamieson came home in 32 to join Yusaku Miyazato at the top of the leaderboard midway through day one of the Oman Open.
Glorious conditions greeted the players at Al Mouj Golf and with the coastal winds not expected to get up until the afternoon, the opportunity was there for good scoring.
Japan's Miyazato was the first man to take advantage as he jumped out to six under but a bogey on the 15th slipped him back and he signed for a 67.
Jamieson finished in a tie for third at the Alfred Dunhill Championship before Christmas and he brought that form to Muscat, going bogey free to join Miyazato at the summit on five under.
French trio Raphaël Jacquelin, Alexander Levy and Adrien Saddier, Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares, England's David Horsey, Belgian Thomas Pieters and Zimbabwean Scott Vincent were then a shot off the lead.
Saddier got off to a flying start, holing a wedge to eagle the par four second and taking advantage of the par five next to jump out to three under.
Pieters was the first man to join him as he made a birdie on the 18th to go with an eagle on the par five 12th and that leading group soon swelled to five.
Levy was among that number as he birdied the first after turning in 34 and when he holed an eight footer on the second, he led on his own. He very briefly led by two when he made the most of the par five third for a hat-trick of gains but playing partner Pieters followed him in.
The group in second began to grow and Miyazato joined it at the turn with birdies on the second, third, seventh and ninth.
Another at the tenth put him into a share of the lead and he was soon there alone as Levy failed to get out of a fairway bunker on the sixth and surrendered a double bogey.
The 28-year-old bounced back on the seventh and Pieters also made a birdie on the par five as he got up and down from the sand to join the lead.
The three time European Tour winner then bogeyed the last after coming up short of the green and a six foot putt on the 14th had Miyazato two ahead.
Saddier was in the clubhouse at four under alongside Levy and Pieters after a birdie on the 16th, as was Jacquelin who birdied the 13th, 16th, second, third and sixth with a bogey on the 18th.
Vincent was one under after 11 holes but then eagled the 12th and birdied the 13th to sit two shots behind Miyazato.
Another birdie followed on the 15th and with playing partner Miyazato dropping a shot after coming up short of the green, the lead was shared again.
Jamieson was also just one under having played 11 holes but a hat-trick of birdies from the 12th and another on the 17th quickly vaulted him to the top of the leaderboard and he was the man to set the target with a par on the last.
Vincent could not repeat that feat and he bogeyed the 18th to slip into the seven way tie for third.
Horsey made birdies on the 12th, 16th, 17th, third and seventh with a bogey on the 18th, while Cañizares recovered from a double bogey on the third with birdies on the sixth, tenth, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th.
Another Spaniard in Jorge Campillo was then at three under alongside Ireland's Gavin Moynihan, a shot clear of Englishmen Matthew Baldwin and Robert Rock, South Africans Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Brandon Stone, Belgian Thomas Detry and Scot Richie Ramsay.
