Lee had endured a bit of a lean spell ever since his breakthrough PGA Tour win at the Houston Open in March but after a month's break from competition during which he relaxed by watching his beloved Fremantle Dockers in AFL finals action, he's returned to European tour action in fine style.

At the flagship PGA championship at Wentworth over the weekend, he shot 67 and 66 to finish joint-11th, his best performance since Houston, and he carried on in terrific fashion on Thursday with a five-under 66 to lie joint-second after the opening round of the French showpiece at Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Breteche.

Starting on the more difficult back nine, Lee really cashed in on his closing stretch, ending with four consecutive birdies to lie level in second alongside home favourite Julien Guerrier, just two shots off the lead held by England Marcus Armitage.

"A few putts didn't drop early but I finished off with four birdies in a row which is very, very nice - it was deserving, I guess, with the shots that I was hitting," smiled the 27-year-old Perth star, who peppered the flag for most of the afternoon.

Still, though, he couldn't quite match the run of eight birdies in 10 holes, including six in a row, which powered Armitage to the top of the pile.

"I was hitting it pretty close and just the putts started to drop," smiled Armitage. "I think I one-putted every green for that space of holes. Yes, that will work!"

A veritable queue of players are just a shot behind Lee and Guerrier after shooting 67s - England's Sam Bairstow, Swedes Jens Dantorp and Marcus Kinhult, Span's Jorge Campillo, Frenchman Ugo Coussaud, Germany's Max Kieffer and Japan's Keita Nakajima. 

Lee's countrymen Elvis Smylie, Australia's top European tour player who's currently 26th in the Race to Dubai order of merit, and Daniel Gale were both on two under, tied for 28th.

David Micheluzzi had a level-par 71 but Danny List will have his work cut out to make the weekend after his four-over 75 which featured four bogeys over the last four holes.