Bernd Wiesberger made a sensational start to the Porsche European Open for the second year in a row and then vowed there would no repeat of last season's eventual disappointment.
The Austrian opened with a 64 in 2015 but followed that with a 76 to miss just his third cut of a campaign that saw him finish ninth on the Race to Dubai.
He went one better on Thursday with a 63 to get to eight under and establish a two-shot lead over Italy's Renato Paratore, on a day when three hours and 25 minutes of play was lost to fog early in the morning at Golf Resort Bad Griesbach.
That meant that the entire second wave would have to return to complete their first rounds on Friday but Wiesberger will have no such issue as he goes in search of a first win of the season.
Wiesberger has not missed a cut in a regular European Tour event so far this season but only had two top tens in his first 18 starts before an impressive showing in finishing second to Joost Luiten at the KLM Open last time out.
The three-time winner started on the back nine and turned in 31 with birdies on the 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 17th before a double-bogey on the first stalled his progress.
Back-to-back gains on the second and third were followed by a bogey on the fourth and a further gain on the sixth before the 30 year old put an approach from 280 yards to 15 feet for an eagle on the eighth and birdied the ninth from ten feet.
"I started 64 last year so I desperately wanted to hole that putt at the last today so there weren't too many memories of last year's round," he said. "I'm thinking more of what happened today, keep pushing and playing the game I played today. What happened a year ago, it was a weird week and I know I'm not going to repeat that tomorrow.
What happened a year ago, it was a weird week and I know I'm not going to repeat that tomorrow - Bernd Wiesberger
"Obviously I played alright, had a couple of shots that cost me believe it or not. I hit it out of bounds on the first hole after I made a good turn, struggled a little bit.
"But I hit a lot of good shots, a lot of good putts and I'm happy with how I played today. It was a lot of red on the card, I don't think I've had that kind of round before."
Paratore turned in 34 after three birdies and a double-bogey but came to life on the back nine, making an eagle on the tenth and birdies on the 13th, 14th and 15th.
"Today was a really good day," he said. "I started really nicely, two under after four holes. Then I made one double-bogey but after that I played really well, especially with the putter.
"On this course you have a lot of opportunities, but you have to play straight from the tee because it can be a tricky course."
Lucas Bjerregaard, Daniel Im and Steve Webster had all held the lead before Wiesberger's late charge catapulted him to the summit, and they finished the day at five under.
Englishman Webster started on the back nine and turned in 31 before a birdie on the third and a bogey on the seventh.
Im had birdies on the third, fifth and eighth with a bogey on the seventh to turn in 33 but a hat-trick of gains from the 11th sent him flying up the leaderboard. The American made another gain on the 15th but then bogeyed the last.
Dane Bjerregaard birdied the first and third and three in a row from the fifth saw him share the lead. A bogey on the tenth dropped him back but further gains on the 13th and 15th had him six under before he too bogeyed the final hole.
Swede Michael Jonzon was also five under, playing the back nine in 35 before making three consecutive birdies from the first followed by a birdie-bogey-birdie run from the sixth.
Matthew Southgate was the best of the players out on course, making five birdies in his first 11 holes.
There were then 12 players in the clubhouse at four under on a congested leaderboard.
