Jorge Campillo continued his stunning recent run of form to take a share of the first round lead at the Volvo China Open.
The Spaniard claimed his maiden European victory last week at the Trophée Hassan II at the 229th time of asking to make it four top three finishes from his last five starts.
And the 32-year-old showed no sign of a comedown at Genzon Golf Club, carding an eagle and five birdies en route to a seven under 65 and a share of top spot with American David Lipsky and Finn Tapio Pulkkanen.
Local favourites Wu Ashun and Jin Daxing, and American John Catlin were then at six under on a day of low scoring before heavy rain arrived late in the afternoon.
"I got a few nights sleep so it was good and I played alright," said Campillo. "Hitting fairways and greens and I made a few putts as well so it was good round.
"If I can keep playing like this and making the putts it will be a good sign, I'll play to my best tomorrow and hopefully have a chance on the weekend."
Lipsky arrived in Shenzhen off the back of a top five last week and sitting ninth in the Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex.
His win at the Alfred Dunhill Championship before Christmas has set the 30-year-old up for what could be a career best season so far on the European Tour, and he made just one bogey to get to seven under.
“I played well and I got my putter working today," he said. "I hit it alright, not great, but I think I holed 150 feet of putts today so that always helps.
“I was trying to be aggressive and it didn’t work out for me. I was just trying to get it to 15-20 feet from the hole and luckily I kept making them."
Pulkkanen easily kept his card last season after topping the European Challenge Tour Rankings and arrived in China after his best result of 2019 so far in Morocco.
“I think I played my best score today," he said. "I had some struggles today but had a couple of good up and downs, a couple of good bunker shots, so I’m happy.
“I’m going to use the same game plan and I only played seven holes in the practice round so I wasn’t sure about the back nine but now I know it better, so same again tomorrow.”
With the course softened by rain and little wind around, low scores were the order of the day and at one point there was an eight way tie at four under.
That had dropped to seven when Catlin jumped out of it, adding to birdies on the second, fourth, seventh and ninth with another gain on the 11th.
In-form countryman Lipksy then joined him thanks to an 18 foot putt on the fourth to go with gains on the 11th, 15th, 16th, 18th and third, and a bogey on the first.
Catlin moved out of a share again with a gain at the 13th but Lipsky soon joined him courtesy of a 15 foot left to righter on the sixth.
Lipsky then became the latest player to take advantage of the par five ninth and he held the lead on his own at seven under, with Catlin parring his way home.
Pulkkanen birdied the second and ninth to turn in 34 but caught fire on the back nine with gains on the tenth, 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th.
Campillo turned in 30 as he birdied the first, third and seventh, holed a long putt on the eighth, and then hit a stunning second to six feet on the par five ninth for an eagle. A birdie on the 17th then had him in a share of the lead.
Wu made a flying start with birdies on the first, second and fourth and, while he dropped a shot on the next, he birdied the sixth and holed a right to lefter from the fringe on the ninth.
An inviting pin helped set up a birdie on the 14th and a stunning approach to three feet at the 15th meant the 2015 champion was just one off the lead.
Jin made birdies on the 11th, 12th, 17th, second, fifth, seventh and ninth to go with a bogey on the first.
Another local favourite in Li Haotong was at five under alongside French trio Benjamin Hebert, Romain Langasque and Mike Lorenzo-Vera, English pair Ross Fisher and Jordan Smith, Malaysia's Gavin Green and Filipino Miguel Tabuena.
