Gregory Bourdy’s course record-breaking 63 landed him a one-shot lead after the first round of the Iberdrola Open.
The Frenchman, 29, made nine birdies in a sensational seven-under-par round that would have been even better had he not notched two bogeys on the Pula GC course in Mallorca, Spain.
He told europeantour.com: “I feel very good and I like this course - I won three years ago so everything is great here.
“It's always great to hold a course record. It's very nice on Tour to get a score like this.
“I made nine birdies, only two or three mistakes but it was a wonderful day.”
Bourdy made a decent start from the 10th and picked up a stroke at the par-four 11th before hitting a hot streak at the 14th, sinking four birdies over his next five holes with a bogey at the par-four 15th the only disappointment of his outward nine.
He made it five from six with another birdie at the first hole before adding three more, as well as another bogey, to end the day a single shot ahead of Englishman Danny Willett.
Willett was Bourdy’s playing partner on the day and almost matched the Bordeaux-born putter all the way, making seven birdies and a solitary bogey in a round of 64 that also deserved much credit.
He said: “I have been struggling with the putter a little bit so today was better on that front.
“Gregory holed a few and then we followed him. It's a good score at the end of the day.”
Hot on their heels are Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke and England’s Matthew Nixon on five-under, with Welshman Rhys Davies a shot further back.
