Michael Hendry, Bradley Dredge and David Howell shot 4-under 68s in the first round of the Volvo China Open to share the lead in Shanghai.
Hendry and Dredge completed bogey-free rounds at Tomson Golf Course, while Howell had one bogey with his five birdies.
"The greens were really firm, so the big thing was if you were hitting fairways, you had chances on the par 5s and short irons," Dredge said. "It was never easy getting the ball close to the hole with slopes on the greens and the firmness, it was quite tricky around there."
The three players are one stroke ahead of defending champion Alexander Levy, Julien Quesne and Marcus Fraser.