England's Richard Finch shot a six-under 66 to lead the opening round of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
The 33-year-old birdied six holes and didn't drop a shot all day to lead a tightly-contested field, with five players a shot behind and a further 11 trailing by two strokes.
"The scorecard doesn't really tell the whole story I suppose, but to go bogey free was quite remarkable," Finch said.
"Six under par anywhere is a great score, and on the first day, so that was good."
Fellow Englishman Richard Bland stormed to a strong finish after three bogeys in the first six holes, hitting six birdies in the back nine to finish at five under.
Gary Bird eagled the 16th hole to join Bland, Robert Rock, David Lynne and Stephen Gallacher on five under, while Simon Dyson kept his Ryder Cup hopes alive with a four-under 68.
The Englishman raced to six-under par after 14 holes but dropped two shots in the final three to finish tied for seventh with a host of others, including Italian Francesco Molinari.
Dyson, who arrived in Scotland in 13th place on the Ryder Cup points list, will need to win at Gleneagles if he is to sneak into the top nine and secure an automatic place on Colin Montgomerie's European team.
Italy's Molinari is guaranteed a Ryder Cup place after Ross McGowan withdrew from the tournament with an injured shoulder.
McGowan, who needed a top-two finish to gain an automatic Ryder Cup berth, was clearly pained by a pinched nerve in his left shoulder as he shot a disappointing five-over 77.
"I struggled all the way round today and it's probably wise not to carry on," McGowan said.
"This means I won't now be able to make the team. I'm pretty gutted."
"But I've got a few years left in me and hopefully I can challenge for the team in two years' time."
Miguel Angel Jimenez, who opted to play rather than attend a family wedding to protect his spot in the top nine, finished the day with a two-under 70.
Should Dyson win at Gleneagles, Jimenez would need to finish ninth to retain his place.
Alvaro Quiros, who could also secure a Ryder Cup berth with a win, hit three bogeys in the back nine to finish with a par 72.