Australian Peter O'Malley equalled the course record to set the clubhouse target in the first round of the Italian Open today.
O'Malley carded an eight-under-par 64 at Gardagolf to match Bernhard Langer's score from the final round in 1997, when the German came from three behind Jose Maria Olazabal to claim the title.
Londoner Gary Clark was two shots off the lead after firing a 66 despite having to carry his own clubs, with Kent's Roger Chapman, Swede Fredrik Orest and Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez a shot further back.
Ireland's Gary Murphy is five shots adrift, having carded a three-under-par 69. Damien McGrane is one over for his round while former champion Philip Walton is level par through 12 holes.
Colin Montgomerie is yet to break the 70 barrier in 15 rounds this season after carding an opening 70, a score matched by Costantino Rocca despite the Italian having to take evasive action to avoid a miscue from his playing partner.
Montgomerie had pulled his drive on the par five 11th, his second hole of the day, on the picturesque course near Lake Garda in Brescia.
Partially blocked by trees, the Scot attempted to pitch out onto the fairway but hit the first tree in front of him, the ball squirting out sideways and almost hitting Rocca and his caddie as they stood waiting to play their second shot.
"It was one of those times that I was so close to him that I couldn't shout fore," admitted Montgomerie, who settled for a quick apology instead.
"He did well to get out of the way, a bit of a shimmy and a bodyswerve."
Montgomerie was making his first appearance of the season in Europe after an unprecedented, if unsuccessful, eight-week spell in America.
In 14 competitive rounds in the United States he had failed to break 70 and after another bogey on the par-five third left him level par for the day, that unhappy sequence looked unlikely to be broken.
"Once we got some crowd control it was okay," added Montgomerie. "We had a couple of problems but it was just over-exuberance, I didn't realise it was a Bank Holiday in Italy for May Day.
"They just wanted to get as close as possible but I need a backswing!"
Montgomerie was six behind clubhouse leader O'Malley, who famously played the last five holes at Gleneagles in seven under par to pip him to the Scottish Open in 1992.
The 37-year-old was in similar form during his 64, four birdies and an eagle in a five-hole stretch from the third seeing him home in 31 despite a bogey on the eighth, his penultimate hole.