Maximilian Kieffer produced front-nine fireworks in front of his home crowd as he began the 2023 Porsche European Open with a 69 to share the first-round lead with Simon Forsström.
The 32-year-old German star went birdie-eagle from the third hole at Green Eagle Golf Courses after draining successive monster putts from around 50 feet.
And after dropping a shot at the short fifth, he chipped in for a bounce-back birdie on the sixth before making three more birdies and two bogeys over the remaining 12 holes to reach four under par.
The only other player to break 70 in Thursday's first round was Swede Forsström, who made five birdies and a single bogey to join Kieffer at the summit.
Dutchman Joost Luiten was among the group another shot back after finishing his round with a hat-trick of birdies at the seventh, eighth and ninth.
Norway's Kristian Krogh Johannessen later closed his first-round 70 with four successive birdies on the other side of the course to join Luiten, Dane Marcus Helligkilde and Englishman Jordan Smith in a tie for third.
Germany's Freddy Schott briefly took over at the top following a run of five birdies in six holes on his back nine but had to settle for a 71 after carding a late triple bogey, leaving him alongside countryman Jannik de Bruyn on two under after his hole-in-one at the short second.
After starting with back-to-back pars, Kieffer's round burst into life at the third when he converted his 53-foot birdie putt to send the crowd wild.
He then repeated the trick from 49 feet with his eagle try on the fourth hole to reach three under par.
Kieffer recovered from a dropped shot on the fifth with a sensational chip-in birdie at the sixth before taking advantage of the long ninth to lead on his own.
Another close-range birdie at the 11th took 2022 D+D Real Czech Masters winner Kieffer to five under, but bogeys on the 13th and 16th stalled his progress.
An impressive tee shot at the short 17th set up a birdie from nine feet and Kieffer finished up with a par on the last.
He said: "It’s been a great day. On the front nine, I holed two very long putts and one chip-in from off the green, which really got the round going. That was a great start to the round, those highlights.
"The back nine was more scoreable. Most of the holes are downwind and there are four par fives. I actually played quite well on the back nine but didn’t hole the putts - the speed on long putts wasn’t great, so I left a few out there on the back nine. Overall, I’m quite happy."
Forsström, who won last month's Soudal Open in Belgium, opened his birdie account at the second with a 12-foot putt and made another from tap-in range on the long fourth.
He then saved par from 13 feet at the sixth before holing his long-range birdie effort on the seventh.
His first bogey of the day came along on the ninth but he recovered with two consecutive birdies at the 12th and 13th before parring his way home.
Forsström said: "I’m very pleased. I thought it was tricky with the wind, it’s very windy and gusty. So I’m very pleased with my performance.
"I just try and keep it simple. It’s a monster out there. You need to keep away from double bogeys. Bogeys you’ll do, hopefully, you’ll make more birdies."
Courtesy www.europeantour.com