England's Ross McGowan equalled the lowest round of his brief European Tour career on Thursday and shares the lead after the first round of the Italian Open in Milan.
The 26-year-old from Surrey, who has already made it into the world's top 100 in the early stages of this his first full season, returned an eight under par 64 to be alongside Paraguay's Marco Ruiz.
On a day of low scoring American John Daly bounced back from his missed cut at last week's Spanish Open with a 67 - he actually led midway through his round - while Ryder Cup hopeful Nick Dougherty, playing just two days after his mother's funeral, managed a 71.
Dougherty, who chose to play this week because he knows his mother wanted him to, said before his first round that he might score "67 or 87".
Runner-up on the "second division" Challenge Tour after two wins last year, 2006 English amateur champion McGowan had four successive birdies from the 13th as he turned in a superb 30.
Two more birdies in his last four holes completed his day's work - and prompted playing partner and former Ryder Cup star Peter Baker to say: "That's the best display of driving I've since since Greg Norman and Ian Woosnam."
McGowan commented: "On the important holes you have to drive well, but I also holed out well from 10 feet and in.
"The next goal is to try to secure my card for next season, then I'll take it from there."
Ruiz is ranked only 410th in the world, but won in Argentina in December and was leading for a while in Seville last Sunday before slipping back to 15th.
McGowan and Ruiz lead by a stroke from World Cup-winning Scot Marc Warren, England's Mark Foster and South African Hennie Otto.