Oscar Lengden finished with five consecutive birdies to storm into the first round lead at the Indoor Golf Group Challenge after a course record eight under par round of 63.
The Swede four-putted the first for bogey but rallied incredibly to make the turn at one under before seven back nine birdies moved him one clear of Frenchman Clément Sordet and England’s Max Orrin, who share second place on seven under par.
The two-time Challenge Tour winner’s closing 29 was the lowest nine to par of his career and he credits a combination of his approach play and putting for being able to go as low as he did.
“It's probably one of the best backs nine I’ve ever played,” he said. “I hit every green and I probably hit it inside 15 feet every time and was able to make seven of them, so super pleased with my putting today, except number one. I drove the green in two, had an eagle putt and walked away with a bogey. So four putts on number one and then I stepped it up.
“I did put in a few hours in this week, but I felt like my green reading and probably acceptance as well out there was the difference. I started to miss a few on the front, but I kept saying to myself that you’ve just got to be patient, they will fall eventually and they did today.”
The 30-year-old is 79th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings but has seen a steady upturn in form in recent weeks and Lengden is now starting to once again feel comfortable with his game.
“I think the course is quite short for us,” he said. “The fairways are playing super hard and the greens are quite receptive, so it's all about the putting this week. If you can drive the ball pretty straight, you will have your chances.
“I felt like the wind was up quite heavily on the front, which made the course quite tough. It wasn’t super tough in any way, but not super scorable either. The wind died down the last six and I felt like I could pretty much aim straight at the pin as well, so that made it a lot easier.
“The thing is, I feel really comfortable with my swing. I know you should never say that, but at the same time, I really do. I played really well last week, striking the ball well, so I feel like when I'm hitting my irons good, I feel like I'm in a good shape.”
Road to Mallorca Number Three Oliver Hundebøll shares fourth place with Swedish duo Simon Forsström and Christopher Sahlstrom, England’s Sam Hutsby and Frenchman Ugo Coussaud on six under par.
