Matthew Baldwin signed for a flawless 7-under 65 to take a one-shot lead at the BMW PGA Championship, one of only two players to stay bogey-free at Wentworth Club.
The Englishman holds the first round lead for the first time since the 2018 Soudal Open.
“It was lovely. I feel like my game has been pretty strong for a while and to actually put it into a performance is nice, a nice positive,” said Baldwin.
“I stayed patient. I got off to a good start which obviously then you gain momentum. I holed a few nice putts and I hit it close when I needed to.
“It’s definitely been coming. My game’s been strong for a while, results haven’t always shown that and I’m quite good at getting in the way of myself. I think today I’ve tried to be as calm and positive as I could.
“It’s great, this is the tournament as players we all look forward to. It’s a great week on and off the golf course. It’s a pleasure to be here.
“I’ve proved I can shoot a good number and hopefully let’s do it again.”
Dane Niklas Nørgaard and Belgian Thomas Detry are tied in second place at 6-under one shot ahead of a group of eleven players, among them Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy.