Matthew Jordan was thrilled to maintain his recent good form as he began his 2022 BMW PGA Championship campaign with a stunning 65.
The Englishman produced three separate birdie hat-tricks on Thursday morning, with six of his nine gains coming in just seven holes from the 11th to the 17th.
Jordan had to put up with heavy rain at times during his opening round but he did not let that affect him, showing off his skill on the greens with some lengthy birdie putts as he set the early clubhouse target at seven under par before Tommy Fleetwood later went one better with his 64.
His impressive first round comes hot on the heels of last week's joint-fourth finish at Made in HimmerLand, where the 26-year-old shot a Saturday 62.
And he was pleased to be able to keep up the good work at Wentworth Club in the fourth Rolex Series event of the 2022 season.
Jordan said: "I'm delighted. It was nice to carry it on because I have obviously that expectation, knowing that you're playing well. But it's golf so it never carries on like that.
"I've been playing actually quite well. I've said to a few of the guys it's just kind of my scoring.
"It's been coming but it just hasn't happened.
"So thankfully it's coming at the right time. And I just had to be patient.
"Well, I got told that I had to be patient anyway! And thankfully they were right, the people who told me."
Jordan opened his round with a three-putt bogey at the first but bounced back in style, reeling off three birdies in a row from the fourth, with the third of those efforts coming from around 22 feet.
He gave a shot back at the seventh before safely parring his next three holes.
Close-range birdies followed at the 11th and 12th before Jordan completed another hat-trick from over 25 feet on the 13th green.
The home favourite's putting masterclass continued at the 15th and 16th, as he drained birdie tries from 13 feet before picking up a third successive gain at the long 17th.
He gave himself another chance on the 18th but had to settle for a par there and a seven-under-par total.
