Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti was the early leader as the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity began in Austria.
Zanotti, who finished third in Madeira last month, had four birdies in his first six holes in windy conditions at Diamond Country Club to be one ahead of South Africa’s Jbe Kruger.
However, local favourite Bernd Wiesberger's bid for a second victory on home soil US Open debut got off to a slow start.
Wiesberger needs to repeat his 2012 triumph or finish second on his own to qualify for the second Major of the season by moving inside the top 60 on the Official World Golf Ranking from his current position of 69th.
A bogey on the tenth, his opening hole, was not the start he was looking for and although a birdie on the 16th got him back to level par that was already four off the lead.
Playing partner Miguel Angel Jiménez, who met his wife Susanne at this event three years ago and now resides in Vienna, was two over par.
The 50 year old Spaniard, who extended his own record as the oldest winner in European Tour history by claiming the Open de España three weeks ago, had bogeyed the 11th, 14th and 17th, with just a solitary birdie on the 13th.
Defending champion Joost Luiten was among the later starters as he looked to continue his recent good form to boost his chances of becoming the first Dutchman to play in The Ryder Cup.
Wiesberger experienced both good and bad luck on the first, where his approach to the 506 yard par five narrowly cleared the water in front of the green and took a friendly bounce towards the hole.
However, his eagle putt from six feet then caught the edge of the cup and horseshoed out, while he also missed from similar distance for a birdie on the second, where Jiménez holed a bunker shot for his second birdie two in three holes.
Wiesberger produced another excellent iron shot in the overcast and windy conditions on the third and this time holed from close range to improve to two under par, just two behind Zanotti.
