europeantour.com Nicolas Colsaerts broke the course record with a dazzling nine under par 64 at the start of the Volvo Golf Champions at Fancourt in South Africa.
Colsaerts birdied nine of the last 11 holes, including the final four, to establish an early four stroke lead over England's David Horsey, Dutchman Joost Luiten and South African Thomas Aiken.
The tournament brings together last season's winners on The European Tour and most of the big guns were out later in the day.
Ernie Els - not yet exempt for April's Masters Tournament after falling outside the Official World Golf Ranking's top 70 - bogeyed two of his first three holes, but past and present Ryder Cup Captains Colin Montgomerie and José María Olazábal were two under at the turn.
They were both in the elite 35-man field because all those with ten or more European Tour victories qualified as well and Montgomerie was eyeing a chance to become the circuit's oldest-ever winner.
Colsaerts, the biggest hitter in Europe two years ago, won the Volvo China Open last April and then was a semi-finalist at the World Match Play in Spain - another event with the same sponsor.He was only level par after seven holes, but then had four birdies in a row around the turn and went on to cover the back nine in a seven under 30.
Padraig Harrington was paired with Els and, although certain of a place in the season's first Major at Augusta, the Irishman is also looking to re-ignite his career after falling all the way to 89th in the world.He does not yet have a place in the coming two World Golf Championships, but birdies at the short second and long fifth were nice early boosts and he remained two under after seven.
Open Champion Darren Clarke and Masters Tournament winner Charl Schwartzel were the last pair off, but Schwartzel three-putted the second and Clarke did the same on the fourth.
At 596th in the Official World Golf Ranking current Ryder Cup Captain Olazábal is the lowest-ranked player taking part, but he birdied the first and eighth.
Colsaerts had rounds of 62 in Indonesia in 2005 and in the Netherlands two years ago, but both were only eight under and he said: "This is probably the best of my life. It's a serious test of golf. I think the longest putt I holed was from 12 feet on the second."
He has a four stroke lead over Lewis, Grace and Aiken.
full leaderboard click http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2012/tournamentid=2012003/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
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