George Coetzee was happy to see some of his best golf return as he fired an opening 64 to take the first-round lead at the Turkish Airlines Open.
The South African had two wins in 2015 and started this season brightly including a top ten at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters but missed seven cuts in 14 from mid-May and slipped out of the top 90 on the Race to Dubai.
The combination of a tie for 31st at the Portugal Masters and withdrawals meant he made it into the first event of the Final Series at Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort and he made the most of his opportunity, setting the target at seven under.
Dane Thorbjørn Olesen was a shot behind, with Spaniard Jorge Campillo, China's Li Haotong, Italian Matteo Manassero and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger then at five under.
Starting on the 11th, Coetzee birdied the 13th, 15th and 16th before dropping a shot on the next. Further birdies then followed on the first, third, seventh, ninth and tenth to set the target.
"I've been missing a lot of cuts, I was really lucky to get into this event this week and I'm just trying to make the most of it," he said.
"I've actually been playing better the last three or four weeks. The swing started to click a couple of weeks ago and I started shooting better scores and hitting better shots and it was just a question of putting everything together.
"I've been excited in the build up to this week, I'm just happy with the way things are going in my game and mentally and obviously it shows on the golf course. I'm playing better, I'm in a better mood. I wasn't expecting to shoot 64 but I'm really happy with it."
I'm playing better, I'm in a better mood. I wasn't expecting to shoot 64 but I'm really happy with it - George Coetzee
Olesen was bogey-free in his 65 with birdies on the third, fourth, 11th, 12th, 15th and 18th.
Campillo produced the highlight of the day when he holed out from 168 yards with an eight iron on the 14th for the 39th hole-in-one of the season.
The 30 year old went out in the very first group of the day and birdies on the fourth and fifth were followed by a bogey on the ninth as he turned in 33. He then picked up four shots in as many holes with a gain on the 12th, that brilliant ace on the 14th and another birdie on the next.
"I've had seven or eight holes-in-one but it's my second on the European Tour," he said. "I never saw it going in, a few people clapped but I didn't know if the ball was in or not, obviously when I walked up there it was in.
"It's always nice to start the week well. I still have 54 holes to go but I'm in a good position."
Li was bogey-free in his 66 with Manassero and Wiesberger - who birdied three of his last four holes - both recording one blemish.
Felipe Aguilar, Lucas Bjerregaard, David Drysdale, David Horsey, Thongchai Jaidee, Pablo Larrazábal, David Lipsky and Jeunghun Wang were then at four under.
Danny Willett - aiming for a top five this week to overtake Henrik Stenson and move back to the top of the Race to Dubai standings - opened with a two under par 69.
