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Higgins, who lost his European Tour card by less than €20,000 last year, fired an impressive nine birdies alongside three bogeys in Fanling.
Italy’s Challenge Tour winner Andrea Pavan is a shot further back after a five under par 65, with seven players sharing third on a congested leaderboard.
“It was great,” said 39 year old Higgins. “I just played solid tee to green holed some lovely putts and had a chip in.
“If you’re going to have a score like that you have to do some good stuff. You’ve got to use your imagination; let it run out a little bit, maybe use a slope here and there, so it’s good for me. It’s a great test of golf.
“I played quite well on Tour at the end of last season, so I’ve come here in decent form and I’ve been working hard.
“You get on a course and hole some putts and you’re going to have a good score and I did that, so it’s time to push on and have a decent week here.”
With Andrew Dodt and Prom Meesawat setting the clubhouse target at four under in the morning session, Higgins joined the leaders with a ten foot birdie putt at the third – his 11th.
The three-time Challenge Tour winner birdied the sixth and then knocked in a six footer at the next to reach six under, but a bogey at the ninth, where he chipped across the green into a bunker on the other side, threatened to spoil his round.
But he bounced back well with a birdie on the tenth, whereas Pavan was unable to atone for a dropped shot on the same hole – the Italian’s only bogey of the day.
Dodt and Meesawat were joined on four under by Singapore pair Lam Chih-bing and Mardan Mamat, India’s Sujian Singh and England’s Seve Benson and Adam Gee.
Defending champion Miguel Angel Jiménez, the highest ranked player in the field, opened with a level par 70.
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