Everything you need to know from day one at Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club.
Miguel made history in style, the Spanish contingent dominated the leaderboard and Drysdale reached a milestone of his own.
Here is everything you need to know from day one in the Forest of Arden.
Miguel marks 707 in style
Miguel Ángel Jiménez has broken plenty of record in his illustrious European Tour career but the 56-year-old admitted to being "very emotional" after surpassing Sam Torrance as the tour's record appearance maker. Not that there were any signs of the occasion getting to the 21 time European Tour winner, as Jiménez carded eight birdies in a flawless 64 to lie two off the lead on eight under. "It's been a wonderful day, eight under par," he said. "A beautiful summer day, and especially on the 18th green with all my colleagues. I felt very emotional. I enjoy everything about my life here. It's not the first time I've said it: this is a way of living. Golf is my life, you never remember any bad moments."
Mood.#Miguel707 🕺 pic.twitter.com/DtQsgPGSvS
— #Miguel707 🕺 (@EuropeanTour) July 30, 2020
Spaniards on top
Jiménez had two of his compatriots keeping him company at the top of the leaderboard, with Spain's Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez leading the way on ten under and Pablo Larrazábal matching Jiménez's 64. "Miguel, for me, is the best. He’s the boss," said Garcia Rodriguez, who described leading a European Tour event in his rookie campaign as "a dream".
Rapid rise continues for Garcia Rodriguez
At the start of 2019 Garcia Rodriguez was plying his trade on the Alps Tour, but swift progress saw him establish himself on the European Challenge Tour before graduating to the European Tour for the first time at the age of 30. A first top five finish arrived in Austria recently and Garcia Rodriguez took it to another level on day one here, with two eagles and eight birdies on his card, along with two bogeys.
Drysdale joins 500 club
Miguel was not the only player in the field marking a special occasion, as David Drysdale became only the 44th player to reach 500 European Tour appearances. A runner-up in Qatar earlier this year, Drysdale posted a one over 73 as he joined fellow Scots Sam Torrance, Colin Montgomerie, Paul Lawrie, Gordon Brand Jnr, Stephen Gallacher and Sandy Lyle in the exclusive club.
Teenage kicks
At the age of 19 most of us can list our golfing achievements on the back of a postage stamp, but Rasmus Højgaard is not most people. The Danish teenager, already a winner in Mauritius and a runner-up in last week's Betfred British Masters, shot a six under 66 to sit in a tie for fifth. "I had a tricky run after my win but I learned a lot from that and took that into my preparation and how to get on with things," he said. "It’s working quite well at the moment."
