Danny Willett overcame a late double bogey to claim a share of the clubhouse lead during a dramatic start to the D+D REAL Czech Masters at Albatross Golf Resort.
The Englishman was only level par at the turn after three birdies and three bogeys, but picked up five shots in six holes from the first – almost holing his approach to the sixth to set-up a tap-in birdie and take the outright lead.
However, a wayward drive down the eighth saw the former BMW International Open winner lose his ball, although Willett managed to regroup from the subsequent two dropped shot and find a birdie at the ninth – his last.
That added up to a four under par 68, the same score as compatriots Kenneth Ferrie and Paul Waring, American John Hahn and South African Keith Horne.
“It was a bit of a rollercoaster,” said Willett. “I had nine birdies in the end, my good golf was brilliant today but my bad golf – I hit three bad tee shots and a couple of bad second shots that got punished. It was a very strange day but I would have taken four under this morning.
“My game is in nice enough shape and I’ve had a steady enough year but that was just a strange day. Every time I had a good number I hit it really close. I had 24 putts but I stuck it in there really close a lot of the time.
“I holed a nice long one there at the last which was a bit of a consolation prize for the double-bogey on eight. I don’t want to analyse it too much, it was just one of those days, that’s golf.”
Ferrie had looked in sensational form as he achieved the rare feat of birdieing his first six holes of the tournament, but a lip out at the 17th led to one of three bogeys.
“I didn’t see a great deal of birdies in practise but obviously I seemed to find them all early today,” joked three-time European Tour winner Ferrie, who is playing on an invite after losing his card two years ago. “Six birdies to start the day is always nice!
“They were all reasonable chances and shots to the greens and taking it from there. Overall it wasn’t too bad; I'm disappointed not to finish at least where I was or push on but it’s tough out there, definitely not an easy course.
“You do pinch yourself a little. You make a birdie at the par five and that’s fair enough, wedge at the second and you make birdie, just missed out on a hole in one at three, then a wedge close at five and a long putt at five.
“The thing is you know it’s going to end eventually, you’re not going to keep it going for 18 holes unfortunately - it’s a little bit unreal but it’s always nice, you take them when you get them.
“The front nine there are a lot of wedge holes where if you can wedge it well and hole a few putts you’re can do a lot but the back nine is a little trickier, there are a couple more funky greens.
“Obviously I had a couple of rough years and lost my card and haven’t managed to get it back yet so I'm playing whenever I can, as a past champion of events and late invites. It’s my own doing, I didn’t play well enough two years ago or at Q-School and I haven’t been able to get on a sustained run to get back out.
“It’s nice that when I've been out this year I’ve proven I still can play. I played alright in Austria for a couple of days and okay for a round in Barcelona - it’s nice to know I'm still capable out here.”
Waring also took advantage of the front nine, birdieing five of his first seven holes and carding six in total against two bogeys.
Horne threatened to match Ferrie's brilliant start, but his birdie run from the first ended at four, and his only further gain at the 11th was cancelled out by a dropped shot at the 17th.
Hahn, one of four Americans to graduate from last season's Qualifying School, was the only one of the leaders to keep a clean card, with three of his four birdies coming on the par fives.
Another American, David Lipsky, was joined by Spain's Javier Colomo, Scotland's Craig Lee and England's Sam Walker on three under in the clubhouse.
In the scramble for automatic Ryder Cup places, Dutchman Joost Luiten kept his hopes alive with a two under par 70, while later starters Jamie Donaldson and Stephen Gallacher were both one under through six holes.
Welshman Donaldson currently holds the eighth of nine spots on Paul McGinley's side for Gleneagles, with Gallacher and Luiten just outside and the points race finishing after next week's Italian Open.
