Seamus Power leads the home challenge in the Horizon Irish Open at the halfway stage of the first round but it is New Zealand's Ryan Fox who has stolen a march on the field with an eight under-par 64.
Starting at the 10th hole in the morning's marquee group with Ryder Cup stars Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton, Waterford's Power excited the home fans by moving to four under-par with a birdie on the second green, and after 10 holes of his round.
As he put it himself afterwards, the 35-year-old "bizarrely" bogeyed the two par 5s on his way in - the fifth and eighth holes - but responded with a superb birdie from off the green on the last to card a 68.
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Dubliner Niall Kearney is also well in touch after shooting four under par for his round.
The 34-year-old actually reached the turn in 31 - five under-par - only to give a shot back at that eighth hole, his second last of the day.
Lowry had a tougher time of it, bogeying his third hole but reaching the turn at level par with a birdie on the par-5 17th.
In front of a large gallery, he got things going down the stretch, picking up two birdies on the spin only to drop his second shot of the morning on that par-5 seventh.
But he had a smile on his face coming off the green having found himself in big trouble off the tee and up against a tree for his second shot.
The Clara man had to take a drop and did well to scramble to ensure he avoided a double bogey, but he is still in the hunt.
Fox, who has twice come close to winning the Irish Open in the past, played near-flawless golf in the soft, calm conditions.
Steering clear of bogeys, the Kiwi made eight birdies and holds the early one-shot lead over Frenchman Frederic Lacroix, who is a shot further back.
Fans favourite Padraig Harrington, who returns home after winning the US Senior Open last Sunday, is in the early stages of his first round.
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