Niklas Nørgaard produced a birdie-birdie finish to edge into a one-shot lead on a weather-delayed opening day at the DP World India Championship.
Just under five hours of play was lost due to storms in the vicinity at Delhi Golf Club but that was no distraction to Nørgaard, who carded a 66 to get to six under and lead the way from Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra, Belgian Thomas Detry and Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin.
Spaniard Chacarra is second in the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World and one of four players who could go top this week as the season moves towards a dramatic conclusion.
Rival Rory McIlroy carded an opening 70, while Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed and another contender in Casey Jarvis were yet to complete their rounds, with 12 players unable to tee off in round one due to the delays.
Of those who did complete 18 holes, however, it was Nørgaard who continued his recent run of fine form in the Indian capital.
The Dane was in danger of losing his card in late August but finished second at the Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo and another runner-up finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship now has him heading for the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
The big-hitter carded an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys in round one and revealed he was surprised to score so well on a short and narrow layout that takes the driver out of many players' hands.
"I'm very, very happy," he said. "Bit surprised as well. This should not suit me at all. It pretty much just neutralises my best weapon, which is my driver. But I just managed to make no big mistakes, put the irons in play, and putt pretty well.
"Had a tough year until (August) and it's just I think what happened at Belfry made me regain my confidence. I didn't think that I'd been playing that bad but I just needed something to spark it and that's what the Belfry did.
"I've been playing good since."
Starting on the tenth, Nørgaard took advantage of the par-five 14th and then put an approach to six feet on the next before giving the shot straight back.
A birdie on the par-five 18th was then followed by a spectacular eagle on the first as he put his second to five feet.
A smart approach on the sixth was followed by a three-putt on the seventh but he made it five under for the day on the par fives at the eighth before holing a 35-footer on the ninth.
Chacarra made a fast start from the tenth with birdies on his opening hole, the 11th, 14th and 15th.
He bounced back from a bogey on the 16th with a gain on the next and added birdies on the second and eighth before dropping a shot on the ninth.
"Need to play here more often I guess," said Chacarra, who has a win and a runner-up finish in New Delhi at the Hero Indian Open.
"I just love the greens. I can see the breaks better than in other places. I know the lie and what it is. I've been having good greens, like reading and good putts made when I play here, and today was kind of the same.
"I'm feeling good, mentally fresh and excited for what's ahead."
Also starting on the tenth, McKibbin rattled off four birdies in a row from the 12th and had a single dropped shot in his 71, while Detry overcame a double-bogey on the 15th and blemish on the sixth with eight birdies.
There was a trio of Scots in Ewen Ferguson, Scott Jamieson and Robert MacIntyre at four under alongside local favourite Om Prakash Chouhan and England's Marcus Armitage.
Pole Adrian Meronk was four under after five holes to also sit in that group, one clear of England's Brandon Robinson Thompson and Swede Hugo Townsend who had both finished their rounds.
