Spain's Ignacio Garrido returned to form in the first round of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles after finally overcoming a bout of glandular fever.
Garrido carded a six under par 66 on the Centenary Course which will host next year's Ryder Cup to finish alongside England’s Oliver Fisher and one shot behind Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, with England's Tom Lewis and Sweden's Kristoffer Broberg a shot further back.
The 41 year old won the PGA Championship at Wentworth, the European Tour's flagship event, in 2003 but is currently 144th on The Race to Dubai with only the top 110 retaining their card for 2014 at the end of the season.
"I probably should have taken a medical exemption after being diagnosed with glandular fever but I don't really believe in them," Garrido said.
"When I withdrew from the event in Korea the doctor told me I should not play for three or four months but I thought I would get over it. The only medicine is rest but I was in the middle of the season.
"And it's not like a normal illness where you feel it all the time. You wake up in the morning and feel okay but then after four holes you are exhausted.
"Finally after the Scottish Open I decided to take as much time off as it needed and now I feel strong because I have been so weak for so long."
At 193rd, Lewis is even further down The Race to Dubai than Garrido but recovered from a double bogey on his third hole of the day to card a five under par 67.
The 22 year old burst onto the scene with an opening 65 at Royal St George's in 2011, the lowest score by an amateur in Open Championship history giving him a share of the lead.
He went on to finish 30th and win the silver medal as leading amateur before turning professional and winning the Portugal Masters in just his third event in the paid ranks.
However, Lewis struggled to reproduce that form in 2012, finishing 117th on The Race to Dubai with just one top ten finish, and his share of 30th in the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity in June this year was the only time he made the cut in 11 events.
"I've had three weeks off practising and it all came together today," Lewis said.
"I felt comfortable out there even though I made a double bogey on the third and I was just cruising around."
