Christopher Feldborg fired an impressive bogey-free seven under par round of 65 to take the lead on day one of the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil.
The Swede, who started his round at the tenth, made his first gain of the day on hole 12 before eagling the par five 14th. Another birdie at 17 followed as he reached the turn at four under par.
The 30-year-old then added three more birdies on the back nine to register his best round of the 2023 Road to Mallorca season and lead by one ahead of home favourite Grégory Bourdy and Englishman Jamie Rutherford who are in second on six under par.
“I played really good golf,” he said. “I was solid all the way through so I'm very happy. I've been playing well for a while now so I felt like something was coming my way and today it did.
“It would mean a lot to get my first win on the Challenge Tour, and getting to that next level is something I strive for. But I'm going to keep trying to do what I did today for the rest of the week and see where it leads.”
Feldborg finished in a tie for tenth place on the same course in 2022 following rounds of 70-69-71-68 and he believes the key to success at the Normandy venue is being aggressive at the right moments.
“I think this course really suits my game,” he said. “As long as I stay aggressive towards the pins and off the tee, I think it’s going to work out to be a pretty good week.
“I’m trying to keep the ball in play as best I can. The thick rough is heavy and it’s hard to get out of, so you need to keep your misses tight. When you have a chance though, you've got to be aggressive.”
Five players share fourth place on five under par, including Welsh duo Oliver Farr and Jack Davidson, Spaniard David Borda, Englishman Matt Ford and Italian Stefano Mazzoli.
Three-time DP World Tour winner, Brandon Stone from South Africa, and Road to Mallorca Number Four, Lorenzo Scalise from Italy are part of a 12-strong group one shot further back on four under par.
Day two gets under way at 7:30am local time with Feldborg teeing off alongside Ahmad Skaik from the United Arab Emirates and Spaniard Alvaro Hernandez Cabezuela at 12:40pm.
