Home favourite Sergio Garcia well-placed to mount a charge

Sergio Garcia enjoyed the calmer morning conditions and shot a solid three-under-par 69 in the first round to move into a share of second place in his home tournament yesterday.

After finishing third in The Players Championship in Florida on Sunday, the world number seven made two early birdies and an eagle before hanging on over the closing holes to take an early share of the clubhouse lead at PGA Catalunya.

“I’m happy with my round,” said Garcia. “I didn’t have the greatest night last night and only slept for about four hours with the jet-lag.

“I didn’t feel extremely well with my swing but I managed to put it in play and give myself some good chances at birdies.

"The course is tough and the fairways are some of the tightest we have played all year," added Garcia who won the Spanish Open 12 years ago. "With the grass they have in this rough as soon as you miss the fairway it's a guessing game."

Further back
England's Eddie Pepperell made five birdies in a round of 68 to take a one-shot lead from a group of eight players, including pre-tournament favourite Garcia and fellow Spaniards Miguel Angel Jimenez and Rafael Cabrera-Bello.

Another eight players were a shot further back on two under, including Ryder Cup hopeful Joost Luiten and former British Open champion Paul Lawrie, who was making his first appearance since the end of January after back and neck problems.

Pepperell finished 76th on the Race to Dubai in his rookie campaign last year, but so far this season has made just three halfway cuts in 10 events, with a best finish of joint 45th in Abu Dhabi in January.

“Seemingly it’s come out of nowhere looking at my results but it’s very similar to last year,” said the 23-year-old from Oxford, whose best finish in 2013 was a tie for sixth in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

“This time last year I started working with Mike (Walker, who also coaches Lee Westwood) and he made a big difference instantly. Then I went and did a couple of my own things, which was a bit silly and cost me a bit of time this year but I feel like I am back on the straight and narrow.

“I back my ability and I know when I am playing well I can shoot good scores. I’m just not at the stage in my career yet when I am playing well enough consistently enough, but hopefully I will get there and today is a good sign.

"It was really tricky when it was flat calm and when I got on the 10th tee all of a sudden the wind came up out of nowhere and was blowing for the whole of the back nine."

Wear blac

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Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen partly had a hole-in-one on the fifth to thank for his 69 – he holed out with a five iron from 211 yards – while

Richie Ramsay would have hoped for even better than his 69 after birdies on his first three holes.

Pablo Larrazabal had asked players, caddies and spectators to wear black as a mark of respect for caddie Iain McGregor, who died on Sunday while working for Alastair Forsyth in the Madeira Islands Open.

A minute’s silence was also observed at 1540 local time in honour of Zimbabwean McGregor, who suffered a fatal heart-attack on the ninth hole at Santo da Serra, while his fellow caddies helped erect a large advertising board bearing his picture near the first hole.

Ireland’s Simon Thornton, Shane Lowry and Paul McGinley all shot level par 72s, while David Higgins and Gareth Maybin finished on one over. Michael Hoey (74), Damien McGrane (75) and Kevin Phelan (76) are also in action.