Star attractions Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Retief Goosen fired opening rounds of five-under-par 66 to lie ominously just off the pace in the first round of the Carlsberg Malaysian Open.
European number one Goosen carded an eagle and three birdies at the Mines Resort in Kuala Lumpur to finish four shots adrift of surprise leaders Arjun Atwal of India and Swede Fredrik Andersson.
Harrington, second to Goosen on the Order of Merit for the last two years, recorded seven birdies and two bogeys on his return to competitive golf following a nine-week winter break.
And former European number one Westwood showed encouraging signs his long slump may be over with six birdies and just one dropped shot in his second event since consulting new coach David Leadbetter.
Harrington was delighted with his 66 after a nine-week winter break when he went an unprecedented 42 days without even touching a golf club.
"I'm delighted," said the Dubliner, who won his final two tournaments of last year, the BMW Asian Open in Taiwan and the Target World Challenge, beating tournament host Tiger Woods by two shots in the latter.
"I am surprised considering the way I was hitting it on Monday and Tuesday. I played conservatively all day because I wasn't that confident in my mental thinking but I took my chances on the par fives and easier par fours when they came."