Tom Kim made a single birdie at the 14th in his first nine holes before producing a flurry of birdies starting with four in a row from the 1st then two more at the 6th and 7th to take the lead of the Cazoo Open de France with a bogey-free, 7-under 64.
“I didn’t really expect anything," said the South Korean player. "It played really hard today with the rain, this course when it starts to rain and with the wind up, it’s not easy.
"I knew I was playing well and I just tried to play the round as stress-free as possible. I definitely did that today. I hit it really well, positioned myself well off the tee and definitely feeling good going into the next three days.
“I played last week and just with France being so close to the UK, it was just a great move.
"Knowing the Olympics is going to be here next year, if I can qualify then it’s definitely good prep. At least seeing the course before coming here, if I get the chance next year, just having that and knowing the course is going to help. It’s a bonus for me.”
Englishmen Richard Mansell and Matthew Southgate are tied in second place at 6-under alongside Sweden's Joakim Lagergren and Spain's Alfredo Garcia-Heredia.
Lagergren will complete his round in the morning as he was facing a 28-foot putt for par at the final hole when play was suspended due to fading light.
