Fresh from winning a BMW with a hole in one last week, Gaganjeet Bhullar enjoyed a solid start with three-under 68 at the Estrella Damm NA Andalucía Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation.
Bhullar closed with a bogey on 18th, but despite that he was tied 11th.
The other Indians did not have such a great day as SSP Chawrasia and Shiv Kapur shot three-over 74 each and Shubhankar Sharma, hit by three doubles, carded eight-over 79.
Sergio Garcia, who loves Real Club Valderrama, was just one shot off the lead after round one. The Spaniard has won the last three stagings of this event - in 2011, 2017 and 2018 - and has ten other top tens from 14 appearances at a course he admits is his favourite in the world.
Bhullar birdied the fourth and sixth, before dropping a shot on eighth. On the back nine, he birdied 10th, 12th and 17th to get to four-under before he ended with the bitter taste of a bogey on 18th for a 68.
An opening bogey-free round of 66 left him amongst a group of five players at five under par, one shot behind Frenchman Victor Perez.
European Challenge Tour graduate Perez was also bogey-free in his round of 65 in an impressive start to his debut here.
South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Malaysian Gavin Green, Swede Anton Karlsson and American Sihwan Kim were also one shot off the lead.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)