Robert Rock made the most of his late entry as he turned in 33 to take a share of the early lead on day one of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
A tie for 21st at last week's Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player kept the Englishman at 64th on the Race to Dubai Rankings and that was enough to hand him the last spot in the field at the season's final Rolex Series event.
He made four birdies and a bogey on the front nine at Jumeirah Golf Estates to sit at three under alongside Japan's Hideto Tanihara.
South African Dean Burmester was another player to seal his spot last week and he was at two under alongside Dutchman Joost Luiten.
Irishman Paul Dunne, English pair Tom Lewis and Danny Willett, and Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera were the other players under par.
Rock flew out of the blocks with three opening birdies and led by two when he made a gain on the seventh but he gave the shot back on the ninth.
Playing in the group behind, Tanihara had also completed nine holes and he made birdies on the first, third and seventh.
Luiten birdied the first and second in is first seven holes, while Burmester did the same but also dropped a shot on the third and made a gain on the seventh.
