Welshman Rhys Davies and Spaniard Ignacio Garrido set the first-round pace at the Maybank Malaysian Open Thursday with Thailand's two-time champion Thongchai Jaidee hot on their heels.

Davies and Garrido posted matching seven-under-par 65s at the magnificent Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club while Thongchai, the reigning Asian Tour number one, stayed in touch with a 66 that was marred by two late bogeys.

Korea's Kim Dae-hyun, an Asian Tour regular, also shot a 66 while countryman K.J. Choi was a further stroke back in the two-million-dollar tournament sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

Unheralded M. Sasidaran was the best Malaysian performer after a commendable 69 left him four strokes behind the leaders and before a lightning storm forced a suspension of play at 6.40pm.

Thirty players will return on Friday morning to complete their opening rounds.

Davies, a 24-year-old who has enjoyed some success on the Asian Tour over the past two seasons, enjoyed a flawless seven-birdie round, highlighted by a front-nine 31.

A Ryder Cup winner in 1997, Garrido got off to a good start with an eagle three on his third hole, where he sank a putt from more than 10 metres out.

Thongchai, currently 44th in the world, was eight under through 15 holes before tripping up with bogeys on the seventh and ninth holes.

"I had a very good game plan and my putting was good. I enjoyed it out there but the weather was so hot," said Thongchai, who holed a 20-foot eagle on the par five fifth hole.