George Coetzee and ryan Fox both fired six-under 65s to share the lead.
With championship golf returning to Le Golf National for the first time because Europes memorable Ryder Cup victory 54 months ago, Fox and Coetzee ended day one with a one-shot lead above a group such as Richie Ramsay, however defending champion Alex Noren faces a battle to earn the cut after an erratic 72.
Coetzee made the most of the great scoring conditions from the first session, while he also defied the joys of visiting playing-partner and 2012 winner Marcel Siem disqualify himself after the front nine when he was informed hed incur a 10-shot penalty for lifting and putting his ball twice, mistakenly believing preferred lies were in operation.
The South African left in a row from the first time and birdied the first two holes, before his only bogey of the day at 17 cost him the outright lead and he picked up further shots at the 10th and 15th.
Jordan Smith looked to surpass Coetzee by a distance when before errors hampered him melts the stretch, he birdied the first six holes and also made another in 10, and Fox proved the player from the following starters to get to six under.
Fox, son of All Blacks legend Grant, restricted an external 31 with four birdies in five holes after hammering a birdie at 12 with his lone blemish in the second, he got back into a share of the lead with another great putt on the 16th green.
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The Kiwi gave himself a excellent chance of an eighth birdie of the round after he knocked his second eight feet in the last, but he allowed rest on the putt and had to pay for a tie on top with Coetzee.
Ramsay carded six birdies against just one dropped shot at his 66 as he looks to cement his position in the 70-man field for the Airlines implanted next month, the Scot arriving in Paris ranked 60th to Dubai in the Rush.
Ramsay shares third using Kurt Kitayama along with Benjamin Hebert, with 2012 Ryder Cup star Nicolas Colsaerts one further back following the Belgian closed a 67 along with his fifth birdie of the day in the long run.
Smith was on 59 alert soon after famous placing coach Phil Kenyon tweeted he wouldswim the channel naked to congratulate anyone breaking 60 at Le Golf National.
The Englishman was seven under after 10 and needed five more birdies within the previous eight holes to provide Kenyon a predicament, but his challenge unravelled in the 13th since he ran a triple-bogey seven.
While Noren appreciated a positive conclusion to a day on his return last year smith erred again at the 17th and then parred the last to round off a 68.
Noren pinpointed the last putt of the competition from 50 feet to spark scenes of wild jubilation, but the Swede was much less sweet when he slipped to three over with five to play before lifting his spirit when he pitched in for a morale-boosting eagle at the long ninth.

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