American Barry Conser carded his low round of the season to claim the early clubhouse lead in the French Riviera Masters at Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort in Provence.
The former Asian Tour player fired seven birdies in a three under par 69 to move to the top of a congested leaderboard on a warm day in southern France.
He started his round with a birdie on the 183-yard par three second and he went on to post two further birdies on the short holes. The second came when he fired a seven iron into four feet on the 161-yard seventh and then he rolled in a 25-footer on the 13th after hitting a five iron into the green.
“I played solid tee to green and made a few nice putts,” he said. “Any time you get three twos on the par threes you tend to have a good day.
“The course was playing tough. The challenging thing about it is that the pins placements are tougher than we usually see. They are close to the edge on the lot of the holes so if you get on the wrong side of the green you’re in trouble.
“I’d say they are also quicker then we’re used to as well. I’m not sure what they are running at but they are probably the fastest we’ve putted on all year.
“It’s just as well there wasn’t much wind because it would have been very demanding if it had started to blow.”
Former Ryder Cup captain Mark James had to withdraw before the start of his round suffering from a stomach complaint.
