Calcutta/ Kuala Lumpur: After firing seven birdies in his last round at Macao on Sunday, Anirban Lahiri kept the momentum going with six more birdies in his first eight holes at the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

Despite a bogey-bogey finish on the front nine of the course, which was his second nine, Lahiri carded six-under 66 to be tied fifth at the end of the first day.

Lahiri was eight-under after 14 holes and seemed set for the lead when he bogeyed the last two holes.

The first round leaders were defending champion Justin Thomas, Derek Fathauer and Keegan Bradley in the $7 million tournament sanctioned by the PGA Tour and Asian Tour, the only PGA Tour-sanctioned tournament in Southeast Asia.

India's other two representatives at the event, Gaganjeet Bhullar (73) and SSP Chowrasia (74) were way behind at tied-64th and tied-69th place.

After a brilliant first nine with birdies on 11th and 12th and then four in a row from 14th to 17th, Lahiri was six-under 30 at the turn at the TPC Kuala Lumpur where he won the Malaysian Open.

Lahiri, a seven-time Asian Tour winner, was very disappointed with the finish. "That front nine (his second nine), I could have done a lot more better. To finish the day like that (bogey-bogey) is obviously a bitter taste in my mouth. But it's still a decent start. I would have liked to definitely be a couple shots better, if not three," said Lahiri.

Lahiri admitted: "I'm definitely in a good place mentally. It just depends on how long I can sustain it. I had it going pretty much all day and just a couple of loose shots in the end that cost me but it could easily have been a couple of shots better.

"I have to just try and sustain that over next 54 holes to give myself a good shot on Sunday. I've just got to take it one round at a time."