Gregorio de Leo fired five birdies and one bogey to close with a 4-under 68 and take a one-shot lead at 7-under at the Turkish Airlines Open.

“I got here on Wednesday afternoon, so I didn’t even have a practice round,” said the Italian.

“I didn’t know how the course was playing so I am really [thankful] of my caddie Adam [Drummond]. He really helped me out yesterday and today. It worked out.

“We started out in Australia, so it’d been five months and we’re a good team.

“He was driving me around the course because I didn’t know anything about it, especially yesterday. Today, I was a little more cautious of the shots where I was hitting them but he was really helpful.”

De Leo regained his playing privileges at Qualifying School and is aiming for his first DP World Tour win.

“It definitely felt very good,” he added. “I played very well. I was solid off the tee, and my putting really helped me today. I think I holed a lot of feet of putts so I am very happy.”

Spain’s Alejandro del Rey made three birdies and two bogeys for a 71 and moved down into a share of second place at 6-under.

“With the set-up today, it was a tough course,” said del Rey. “It wasn’t very gettable and probably the scores show that. Signing for an under par round without feeling my best is pretty cool.”

England’s Sam Bairstow made six birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey at the par-4 13th for a 70 and a share of second place.

Sweden’s Jens Dantorp (70) and New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori (68) both made a single bogey for their share.

Overnight leader Mikael Lindberg of Sweden signed for a 1-over 73 having made two birdies and three bogeys to move down into 6th place at 5-under.

Defending champion Martin Couvra made the cut on the number having made a single birdie, two bogeys and double bogeys at the par-3 2nd and par-4 13th.

Related: England Watch: Gainer, Hewson and Humphries off to solid starts at the MCB Ladies Classic-Mauritius

As the first round of the MCB Ladies Classic - Mauritius comes to a close, Golf Today caught up with some of the leading Englishwomen in the field.

For the latest news in the golfing world, follow us on X.