That included three twos on the tough par-threes measuring a total of 572 yards and catapulted the 31-year-old from Stoke to the top of the leaderboard.

Lynn, who will defend his KLM Open title in Holland next week, was briefly joined at the head of affairs by 2002 champion Paul Lawrie, New Zealand’s Michael Campbell and Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez.

But further birdies on the second and third, where he pitched to six feet on the steeply downhill par five after finding trouble off the tee, took Lynn to five under par and two shots clear of the field.

With the Wentwood Hills course at Celtic Manor under reconstruction ahead of the 2010 Ryder Cup, the £1.5m (€2.2m) event is being staged over the Roman Road course, which is 600 yards shorter with a par of 69.

That led to early speculation that the magical 60 barrier could be broken for the first time on the European Tour this week, but Ryder Cup star Paul McGinley was not convinced.

“It might be one of the shortest courses we play but I don’t think it’s going to be the easiest,” said the Dubliner, second in the BMW Championship at Wentworth on Sunday.

“From what I hear the rough is up, the greens are very tricky and there are a lot of elevation changes. Bad weather is forecast and I don’t think you are going to find extremely low scoring.”

McGinley was doing his best to make that prediction come true, going to the turn in level par but dropping a shot on the second to lie one over par.

Ryder Cup team-mate David Howell was also struggling to maintain his superb recent run of form.

Howell, fourth in the BMW Championship at Wentworth on Sunday after losing play-offs in the previous two events, was two over par for his first four holes before a birdie on the 17th took him out in 35.