Jannik De Bruyn tamed one of the toughest tests on the DP World Tour as he carded a stunning 64 to open up a four-shot lead after the first day of the European Open.
The 7,458-yard, par-73 Porsche Nord Course at Green Eagle Golf Courses is one of the most fearsome layouts players face all season but home favourite De Bruyn carded 11 birdies - including four to finish his round - to get to nine under in Hamburg.
He would have matched the course record had preferred lies not been in place and he bettered his own lowest DP World Tour round by three shots to lead the way from England's Laurie Canter and Welshman Jack Davidson in the second event of the European Swing.
De Bruyn is playing his rookie season on the DP World Tour having come through the Qualifying School - winning the Second Stage at Desert Springs Resort & Golf Club - as he makes his mark in the professional game.
He won the European Amateur Team Championship in 2020 alongside 2021 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Matti Schmid and DP World Tour winner Nick Bachem and entered the paid ranks the following year.
He entered this week 197th on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex but found his form in spectacular style despite a three-hour fog delay in the morning, although he admitted he did not know the reason for his success.
"I can’t explain what happened out there," he said. "But I was just in the moment and the birdies kept coming. I was hitting the ball well in the right areas and my putting was great.
"I was six under through seven and didn’t really believe it. I hadn’t been playing great coming into the week, so I had no expectation. I was just looking to take it shot by shot and focus on hitting draws. It worked out well for me today.
"There were plenty of spectators out there for me today and I always enjoy playing in front of my home crowd. The more birdies I was making, the bigger the crowd got which was quite funny. I’m proud to play such a good round here."
When play got under way after the delay, De Bruyn holed from 55 feet on the first and after a par on the second, rattled off five birdies in a row.
An approach to six feet on the third was followed by a two-putt gain on the par-five next and he holed lengthy putts on the fifth and sixth before hitting a smart approach into the seventh.
A tidy up-and-down on the 11th put him four ahead but he three-putted the 12th and hit a poor second to the 13th which led to another bogey and briefly left the door open to the chasing pack.
Canter put an approach to six feet at the third, made a two-putt birdie on the fourth and holed from 28 feet on the fifth to turn in 32.
An excellent recovery from a poor second at the 11th set up another gain and he was within one as he spun a tee-shot to five feet at the 14th but De Bruyn found another gear.
The German made a two-putt birdie on the 15th and hit a beautiful pitch to eight feet on the next before almost holing his tee-shot on the 17th and making yet another gain with two putts on the last.
Canter had taken advantage of the 15th but three-putted the 17th to slip back to five under where he was joined by Davidson.
The 27-year-old had made just one cut from eight starts so far in his rookie campaign and while he birdied the second and fourth, dropped shots at the eighth and tenth had him back at level par.
He then made a smart up-and-down at the 11th, holed a long putt at the 12th and left himself a tap-in at the 13th for a hat-trick of birdies.
Two putts handed him a birdie on the 15th and he made a smart sand save on the last to pick up five shots in his last eight holes.
Defending champion Tom McKibbin was in the group at four under alongside English pair Dan Bradbury and Garrick Porteous, American Sean Crocker, Dane Niklas Nørgaard, Finn Lauri Ruuska and South African Ockie Strydom.
There will be 34 players returning to complete their first rounds on Friday morning after darkness saw play suspended at 9.22pm.
