Mike Lorenzo-Vera lit up the back nine at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club to share the lead with Matthias Schwab after day one of the Omega European Masters.
A host of Major Championship and multiple European Tour winners have made the trip to stunning Crans Montana this week - including World Number Two Rory McIlroy - but it was two men seeking a first victory who set the pace with opening rounds of 63.
Austrian Schwab had set the target in the morning with a bogey free effort before Frenchman Lorenzo-Vera came home in 29 to join him at seven under.
Italian Lorenzo Gagli, Finn Mikko Korhonen and Swede Sebastian Soderberg were the closest challengers a shot back, one clear of a group of six players including 2017 Race to Dubai Champion Tommy Fleetwood.
Last week's winner Erik van Rooyen, Welshman Jamie Donaldson, Scot David Drysdale, Malaysia's Gavin Green and Italian Guido Migliozzi were alongside Fleetwood at five under.
Major Champion and winner here in 2005 Sergio Garcia was in the group three shots off the lead, one clear of four time Major winner McIlroy.
Lorenzo-Vera has already had two second place finishes this season and has spoken of how his work with a psychologist has helped him get closer to that elusive first victory.
After a five week break to get married and move house, you could have forgiven his mind for being elsewhere, but he has once again credited the mental side of the game to some of his success.
"I'm very happy because I just had five weeks off," he said. "It was a stressful five weeks with a wedding and moving plus two kids. I managed to bring the head together pretty well today.
"The best thing to do (with so much going on) is to have a very, very good psychologist, that you call often. I'm not kidding, that's really what I do. Try to clean the head as much as possible outside the tournaments, and come here fresh and ready to play golf."
The 34-year-old birdied the second but double bogeyed the fourth after an unfortunate bounce before hitting back with birdies on the seventh, ninth and tenth.
A gain on the 13th was then followed by a long putt for eagle on the par 14th, a birdie on the second of the back to back par fives and another gain after a slippery putt on the 16th.
Earlier, Schwab birdied the fourth - via a bunker shot - fifth, seventh and eighth, and a lovely delicate chip helped set up a birdie on the par five ninth as he turned in 30.
Another gain on the 13th moved him two ahead and a two putt birdie on the 15th moved him to seven under.
"It reminds me of home a lot," he said. "I grew up in the mountains and still live there. I like being here, I like the mountains.
"I don't know if growing up at altitude is an advantage, you still have to hit shots and play good shots. Obviously I know how far my ball is going at this altitude. That surely helps but other than that I don't think it's really an advantage."
Korhonen had a thrilling round, making two eagles on par fours and six birdies but he also had a double and two bogeys.
Soderberg - fresh off the back of a top five on home soil - made gains on the second, seventh, ninth, tenth, 14th and 15th but dropped a shot on the 17th after finding a nasty lie before birdieing the last.
Gagli eagled the par five 14th and driveable par four seventh, adding birdies on the first, fifth and ninth to go with a single bogey on the fourth.
Donaldson made seven birdies and a double bogey, Van Rooyen and Migliozzi also made seven gains, while Fleetwood, Drysdale and Green all made a single bogey in their rounds.
There were ten players alongside Garcia at four under, while McIlroy had 15 for company, with 53 within five of the lead.
