The American, who has missed eight cuts in his last 10 events, had six birdies in his opening 13 holes at the Montreux Golf and Country Club. His first bogey of the day came at the 16th but he bounced back immediately to eagle the par-five 17th. And, although he finished with another bogey, Bettencourt's six-under effort was enough to put him at the head of the leaderboard.

Former Masters and Open runner up Chris DiMarco is one back after a 67 that included six birdies and just one dropped shot. "Obviously I still feel like I can win out here," said DiMarco, who has not had a top 10 on the PGA Tour since 2008.