Justin Rose delighted the home crowds with an opening 65 that handed him a one-shot lead at the Betfred British Masters.
With big galleries gathered at the storied setting of The Belfry, the Englishman dropped just a single shot in getting to seven under to lead the way from fellow Briton Jamie Donaldson.
Amateur John Gough was then at four under alongside fellow Englishman James Morrison, Spaniard Sebastian Garcia, German Yannik Paul and Frenchman Adrien Saddier.
South Africans Hennie du Plessis and Wilco Nienaber both carded 70, with Thomas Aiken, Bryce Easton and Thriston Lawrence and Justin Walters a further shot behind.
Rose won the second of his 11 DP World Tour titles – and so far only one in England – at this event in 2002.
His last win on the DP World Tour came in 2018 when he claimed the second of back-to-back wins at the Turkish Airlines Open and the 42-year-old believes he is in a good position to take a 12th career victory.
“I think anybody who is playing in a rich vein of form has fairly simple thoughts and has good, strong feels and you kind of layer those feels week-to-week-to-week which obviously builds trust in your game,” he said. “I think I have a clear sort of blueprint with what I’m working on and can build momentum behind it.
“I felt very comfortable with my game from the first shot, really. Hit a beautiful little wedge into the 10th hole. Got off to a good start, nice birdie there, and I actually think that’s probably the best, cleanest round of golf I’ve played in a long, long time, probably even this year, as well as I have been playing.
“That one just felt a little smoother and I really drove the ball well. The fairways are incredibly narrow here and I felt confident with the driver and felt like the irons were being struck pretty cleanly and I haven’t had many putts, really, through the front nine to be four under par.
“Managed to actually make a few coming in, which is great, and obviously all amounted to a very good day’s work.”
– Edited report from DP World Tour website
