Nordea Masters 2017: Renato Paratore, Max Orrin Share Lead After Thursday's Play

Renato Paratore and Max Orrin are tied for the lead at the 2017 Nordea Masters following Thursday's opening round after shooting five-under 68 at Barseback Golf & Country Club in Malmo, Sweden.

The early tournament leaderboard is filled with unheralded contenders. Scott Hend (-2) is the only golfer in 10th place or better after the first round ranked inside the top 100. More notable players, like the Swedish tandem of Henrik Stenson (E) and Alex Noren (+2), have a lot of work to do Friday.

Here's a look at the top performers from Round 1:

T-1 (-5): Renato Paratore; Max Orrin

T-3 (-4): Jamie Donaldson; Bradley Dredge

T-5 (-3): Benjamin Hebert; Eddie Pepperell; Haotong Li

T-8 (-2): Scott Hend; Jose-Filipe Lima; Ashun Wu; Sebastian Soderberg; S.S.P. Chawrasia; Jeff Winther; Tom Lewis

Paratore continues to show flashes of his terrific potential. The 20-year-old Italian has struggled with consistency throughout the season—he missed seven cuts in his previous 13 stroke-play starts—but days like Thursday and his second-round 62 in the Rocco Forte Open are a glimpse toward the future.

The Rome native is best known for his rapid pace of play, a rarity in an era when superstars like Jordan Spieth and Jason Day sometimes reach a snail's pace. While slowing down on some tougher shots may help him over the long haul, he certainly finds a nice rhythm when he's striking the ball well.

The European Tour highlighted one of his best shots from the first round:

Orrin bounced back nicely Thursday after getting disqualified from his last European Tour start at the Rocco Forte Open for a scorecard error. A double bogey on the third was his only blemish during a round that otherwise featured seven birdies.

The 23-year-old Englishman owns a pair of victories on the Challenge Tour, but he hasn't recorded a top-10 result against top-level competition. He's put himself in perfect position to end that drought if he can build off his strong showing in the opening round.

His heart probably missed a beat on his final putt of the day, which took a 360-degree trip around the cup before falling in, as the European Tour showcased:

Stenson and Noren generated the most attention coming into the tournament, which didn't come as a surprise given the rare opportunity for them to play on home soil.

The 2016 Open Championship winner, who started on the back nine and made the turn at one-under par, struggled early on the front side. He posted three bogeys over a four-hole stretch but rebounded with two late birdies to finish with a survivable 73.

Noren was even through 16 holes before back-to-back bogeys to complete his round left him in trouble heading into the second round. He'll need a better Friday to ensure he makes the cut.

IMG Golf noted the native sons were still the focus despite their mediocre play:

Looking ahead, the lack of marquee names near the top of the leaderboard should make for an interesting Friday. Along with Stenson and Noren, the likes of Thorbjorn Olesen (-1), Lee Westwood (E) and Chris Wood (+1) will all be looking to make a surge before the weekend.