David Howell, Bradley Dredge and Michael Hendry were left tied at the summit of the China Open leaderboard on four under par after the first round.
Englishman Howell has enjoyed a consistent 2015 thus far, finishing runner-up at the Jo'Burg Open and placing fourth at last weekend's Shenzhen International.
And the former European Ryder Cup player continued the trend with an opening-round 68 at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club.
Howell's only blip was a bogey at the third that wiped out an early birdie, but he showcased his talent by chipping to within two feet to birdie the 13th before sinking a huge 40-foot putt to pick up another shot at the 17th.
"I drove the ball beautifully, really found my rhythm on the range and took it out onto the course so I kept the ball in play well and did a lot of things right," Howell told the European Tour's official website.
Dredge, who went out before Howell, signed for a bogey-free round and gained birdies at the second, sixth, 10th and 13th holes.
The Welshman, a two-time European Tour winner, regained his Tour card last year after losing it during a poor 2012 campaign.
Commenting on his round, he said: "It was never easy getting the ball close to the hole with slopes on the greens and the firmness; it was quite tricky round there."
New Zealander Hendry was a victor on the Japan Golf Tour last week and continued his form by also completing a bogey-free 18.
Defending champion Alexander Levy is looking to become the first player to defend the China Open title. The Frenchman started in solid fashion and finished one shot off the pace in a three-way tie for fourth alongside countryman Julien Quesne and Australian Marcus Fraser.
Oliver Wilson, runner-up to Paul Casey in 2005, and Peter Uihlein sat among eight men on two under par by the close of play.