On Thursday, the 30-year-old Frenchman recorded an eight-under 63 to boost his chances of capturing European captain Luke Donald's attention.

His impressive opening round gave him a two-shot lead over Maximilian Kieffer, of Germany.

Pavon carded nine birdies and a single bogey at the Marco Simone club outside Rome - and even he was left surprised.

"All in all it was just great playing," said Pavon, who has never won a on the DP World Tour.

"Nothing bad to say about today. I was really, really solid off the tee, probably only missed two fairways – and every time it was by a few inches.

"Everything was just excellent. I was not really sure about a low, low score like this. I knew I could do great, but that great? I'm a bit surprised."

Six of the birdies came in an excellent first stretch and Pavon then made gains on two of the first three holes on the back nine. He ended the round with another birdie to bounce back from a bogey on the 17th.

Kieffer was alone in second after making an eagle, five birdies and one bogey in his 65.

Julien Guerrier, of France, and China's Wu Ashun were another shot back on five-under.

The only Australian in the field, Jason Scrivener, looks set to face a second-round battle to make the cut after he shot a three-over 74, leaving him tied for 98th.

Marco Simone will become the third venue in continental Europe to host the Ryder Cup (September 29-October 1) after Valderrama in Spain (1997) and Le Golf National in France (2018).