Everything you need to know from day one in Madrid.
Matthieu Pavon went low again, Eddie Pepperell saw a big turnaround, Jon Rahm was doing Jon Rahm things and putters were seemingly optional on day one of the acciona Open de España presented by Madrid.
Here is everything you need to know from Thursday at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
Pavon goes low again
Pavon went one better than last year as a 63 handed him a one-shot lead. Last season's Thursday 64 helped the Frenchman finish second behind Jon Rahm and he will be hoping to go one better again on Sunday as he looks for a first DP World Tour title. His eight under score left him one clear of Dutchman Wil Besseling and two ahead of countryman Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Portuguese Pedro Figueiredo and England's Eddie Pepperell, all of whom are looking for a strong end to the season to maintain their playing privileges. "Last year I had a great finish here so I just kept trying to bring back all the souvenirs from that a little bit and it really helped me today," said Pavon. "I feel pretty good. I hit a lot of great shots and from tee to green I was really solid. The putter was also great and overall I was amazed by the play I had today."
What a difference a day makes
We all have good days and bad days on the golf course but for Pepperell in Madrid, one directly followed the other. After what he called a "horrific" performance in the pro-am on Wednesday, the Englishman shot a 65 to get to six under. "I was horrific yesterday in the pro-am, so my pro-am partners are probably wondering what's happened overnight and I don't really know," he said. "I was a bit worried last night. I woke up early, I was thinking all sorts so I had to focus my mind and I had a decent warm-up at the course and hit some decent shots. I didn't play fantastic but I scored pretty well. It was obviously a good day and beat my own expectations." What will tomorrow bring?
Trouble? What trouble?
Most golfers here would be praying for par. Rahm almost made a birdie.
Spanish hands
Some clichés are clichés for a reason. Exhibit A: Jorge Campillo.
Danish hands?
Anyone for a new cliché? Take a bow Thorbjørn Olesen.
