Danny Willett threw down the gauntlet to Race to Dubai rival Rory McIlroy as he fired himself into contention during the first round of the World Golf Championships - HSBC Champions.
The Englishman trails McIlroy by 399,385 points in the battle to be The European Tour's number one but opened with a 65 at Sheshan International Golf Club to trail Kevin Kisner and Steven Bowditch by a single shot.
McIlroy was not going as well but recovered from a double bogey at the fifth to get to four under after 13 holes of his round.
Thorbjørn Olesen was then at seven under after picking up seven birdies in his first 10 holes with Paul Casey, Branden Grace and Patrick Reed all a further shot back with six holes to play.
A star-studded field had assembled in Shanghai as the second event of The Final Series presented a chance to pick up vital points in The Race to Dubai.
And Willett was the man to make a move as he picked up a shot on his opening hole, the tenth, before further gains followed on the 14th, 16th and 18th.
More birdies followed on the second, third and seventh and when the 28 year old rolled a beautiful 25-foot putt up the hill on the eighth, he held a share of the lead.
A bogey was to come on his last to drop him back but Willett can be pleased with his opening day's work.
American Kisner was flawless in his opening 64 and he recorded a 32 on each side while Bowditch signed for nine birdies and a bogey.
Olesen had got off to a flying start with birdies on his first three holes and when more followed on the fifth, sixth and eighth, he turned in 30. Another birdie dropped on the tenth and the Dane was seven under with five to play.
Casey was two under after his first eight holes but then narrowly missed out on an albatross as he eagled the 18th and also put his approach to the first close to pick up three shots in two holes.
Another gain was to come on the third and he was just two back of the leaders.
Reed turned in 31 as he picked up five shots in his first seven holes and added another birdie at the second while Grace also played the back nine in five under par before picking up a shot on the second.
Thomas Pieters was playing in his first ever WGC event but looked at home in firing a 67 while Harris English and Xinjun Zhang were also five under.
Matthew Fitzpatrick, Hunter Mahan, Charl Schwartzel and Daniel Summerhays then all signed for rounds of 68 with McIlroy and World Number Two Jordan Spieth also four under still out on the course.
McIlroy began with a birdie and picked up another shot on the 14th but the double bogey followed before he fought back with birdies on the 16th and 18th.
Further birdies then came on the second and third and McIlroy was alongside playing partner Dustin Johnson.
Spieth turned in 35 despite a lost ball on the 17th and added further birdies on the second, seventh and eighth.
