Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts made the perfect start at The Gleneagles Hotel in pursuit of the top two finish he needs to guarantee a Ryder Cup debut next month.
The 29 year old, the only player competing in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles who can force his way into a top ten spot in Europe's side, followed two opening pars with a bogey five on the 481 yard 13th.
However, Colsaerts recovered superbly from his early bogey and by the 18th green was in a share of the lead with Michael Hoey at three under.
Europe's biggest hitter was just off the green with his drive to the 320 yard 14th, chipped to two feet, holed a 12 foot putt for another birdie on the next and then made it three in a row at the 543 yard 16th.
Despite it being into the wind he had the power to go for it in two and although he pulled his second into thick rough he chipped over a bunker to four feet and holed the putt.
Colsaerts then found a bunker at the 17th, but saved par from 20 feet up the tier in the green and after needing only an iron to find the green at the uphill 513 yard last - his eighth of the day - he two-putted for another birdie.
Colsaerts was playing with Dane Thomas Björn, the defending champion and - perhaps more importantly this week - one of José María Olazábal's assistants for the match in Chicago.
Hoey was back in action two weeks after disqualifying himself from the US PGA Championship.
The former British Amateur Champion was certainly off to a fast start with birdies at his first two holes, but after doing the same Englishman Miles Tunnicliff - winner in 2004 - had a triple bogey seven on the 15th and bogey six at the next.
Playing partner and compatriot Lloyd Kennedy was one over after six, but then with the first tee shot of the day on the 194-yard 17th, he holed-in-one to leap to one under and joint third place.
Hoey had gone to three under on the same hole, while Bjorn bogeyed the 14th and remained one under starting the outward half.
As for England's David Lynn - runner-up at the US PGA Championship, but denied the chance to qualify automatically for the Ryder Cup when Swede Peter Hanson's withdrawal this week reduced the number of Official World Golf Ranking points on offer - he parred his first eight holes.
