Nick Dougherty and Peter Hanson both shot superb rounds of 66 to set the early clubhouse target at four under par at the SAS Masters.
Hanson, starting on the back nine, gave little indication of what was to come when he sandwiched birdies at the 15th and 16th with bogeys at the tenth and 18th, but then his fortunes changed.
He followed a birdie at the first with another couple at the fourth and fifth, before taking his sixth of the day at the last for inward-nine score of 30.
England’s Dougherty, 15th in the European Ryder Cup standings, joined Hanson on four under after a flawless round containing two birdies and an eagle.
The Englishman holed a 142 yard shot for an eagle two on the 12th - he started on the back nine - and then added a birdie three at the 14th.
Back on the Arlandastad course where he was a joint runner-up last year, Dougherty looked like dropping a stroke straightaway as he teed off in wind and rain.
But a putt from 30 feet saved him an opening par and his eagle came with a wedge - the hole was playing downwind - shortly afterwards.
Not that he knew it had gone in for several minutes - it was only discovered when playing partner Robert Karlsson peered into the cup.
When Dougherty then salvaged par on the next with a nine feet putt he had taken only four putts in the first four holes, while a birdie at the 399 yard 14th took him to three under. He was then bunkered in two at the 558 yard ninth, his 18th, but made a ten feet putt for a share of the clubhouse lead.
Australia’s Peter Fowler is a shot back alongside Scotland’s Gary Orr, but for a while it looked as if the pair would hold a share of the lead. Fowler stormed to four under after five birdies nullified the bogey he collected at the third, but then he bogeyed the 13th to fall back.
Orr, meanwhile, was four under after 17 holes courtesy of two birdies and an eagle, but a bogey at the last combined with a dropped shot at the tenth to dock his score.
Scott Barr, Magnus A Carlsson, Gareth Paddison, Jesper Parnevik and Marc Warren are all tied on two under after rounds of 68.
On the course, Terry Pilkadaris is three under through 15, alongside Patrik Sjöland.
Elsewhere, Robert Karlsson shot 73, while Martin Kaymer is an afternoon starter.
