David Higgins is one of four players locked at the top of the overnight leaderboard on six under par after a tight first round at the Enjoy Jakarta HSBC Indonesia Open.
Under skies that threatened, but only rarely delivered, the rain that has been forecast to interrupt play for the four days, the day was notable for the inability of anyone to make a clean break.
Higgins had been among a group sharing the early lead of the tournament, but was able to eke out an advantage that only came under threat from the afternoon starters.
He had shot five birdies in his opening nine holes, with just one dropped shot, to lie in the lead at four under. But two birdies on the back nine helped him to six under par and clear of the pack.
Only just returned to the main tour after a year getting his card back on the gruelling Challenge Tour, Higgins believes there is more to come from him in his second Far East event of the past fortnight.
He said: "I did everything quite well today, made very few mistakes, just one major mistake. There's no reason I can't play as well as I know I can do. I played well in Malaysia, I didn't score that well, but I felt good about my game and I'm a bit more relaxed now."
Taiwan’s Wang Ter-chang and Thongchai Jaidee, of Thailand, had the opportunity to end the day at seven under par, but both slipped up by recording bogeys at the final hole.
Wang dropped a two shots in all, counterbalancing his eight birdies, while Jaidee, who had started with an eagle, shot six birdies.
Simon Dyson, who spent a year playing on the Asian Tour, crept into the picture with a consistent round that had begun with an eagle and featured no dropped shots.
He said: "I struck some good putts. It always helps to roll in a nice 20-footer for eagle at the first to get things rolling and all of sudden you drop another one in and the holes seems to get bigger and bigger. It felt good out there, especially with no bogeys."
Five players also share second place, just a shot behind at five under. Anthony Kang, of the USA, Australian trio Anthony Brown, Brad Kennedy and Andrew Buckle — the latter two two had been tied with Higgins early on — and Swede Steven Jeppesen all carded rounds of 67.
Thailand’s Thammanoon Srirot and Wilhelm Schauman, of Sweden, Australian Unho Park and Chinese Liang Wen-chong all lie one stroke further back at four under.
Stephen Dodd is handily placed three shots off the pace after carding a 69 that left him fuming. The World Cup-winning Welshman was erratic, dropping three shots in his round, but he also hit four birdies, as well as an eagle three holes from home.
He said: "I just played awful from start to finish. It was a battling round and not at all pretty. I am not going to challenge playing the way I am."
