Retief Goosen of South Africa produced an eight-under 64 to lead by two shots after the first round of the BMW International Open overnight.
Goosen attributed his low score at the waterlogged Golfclub Munchen Eichenried to lessons he learned last week when finishing in 16th place in similar damp conditions at the US Open.
He described playing his approach shots from the fairways as "exactly the same," and after struggling on the greens at New York's Bethpage Black, he changed putters for the first time in eight years and earned instant results.
"I have been using the same putter since 2001," said Goosen after a bogey-free round including eight birdies.
"I had a new one made up for me three years ago but I only tried it out in the pro-am on Wednesday for the first time.
"It felt good then and I decided to try it out today. I hit the ball very well last week in the US Open and didn't really make anything on the greens.
"But from the first hole where I hit the ball into three feet and made the putt for a birdie, everything started to go in."
Goosen needed a slice of luck on the 18th hole when a wayward shot was prevented from going into a lake by a TV tower. He was allowed a free drop from which he set up his final birdie.
Until he recorded a bogey six at the last hole, Goosen's fellow South African James Kingston was threatening to share the lead with a run of eight birdies in 11 holes. He was eventually one of nine players who handed in 67s including best placed Australian Marcus Fraser.
That left second place vacant for England's Richard Finch, who was happy to sign for 66 at the end of a poor run of tournaments in which he has failed to reproduce the form which won him the New Zealand and Irish Opens in 2008.
The first round scoring was unusually low for the tournament because three days of heavy rain produced soft receptive greens which helped 82 players, more than half the field, score under par.
MUNICH AP
