Rookie Francesco Laporta was delighted with his performance on day one of the King’s Cup presented by PTT Group.
The Italian, who gained his European Tour card at Qualifying School in November, shot a five-under-par 65 at Phoenix Gold Golf Club on Thursday to sit two shots behind overnight leader Sattaya Supupramai.
Laporta, beginning his round at the tenth tee, made a gain at his first hole before firing consecutive birdies at the 16th and 17th to cover his front nine in 32.
He carded his only bogey of the day at the short second but made amends with birdies on the third, fourth and sixth to finish alongside Tom Johnson and Gaganjeet Bhullar on five under.
After his opening round, he said: "I’m feeling very good as I played great today.
"The driver was nice and the putter was very good too - Francesco Laporta
"I really enjoyed the day. It was a little hot but fun. I managed it well by drinking lots of water.
"It’s not easy to read the greens on this course. This is a very tight course and you’ve got to hit your first shot fairly straight. The second shot to the green is not easy.
"It’s tough being a rookie. I played on the Sunshine Tour for the last three years. I haven’t played that well this year. This is my first year and I’m sure it’ll get better."
