Golf:Graeme McDowell returned to a happy hunting ground at Celtic Manor and, under bright sunshine in the Usk Valley, opened with a four-under 67 in the defence of his Wales Open title.
It was this time 12 months ago when the Portrush pro kick-started what turned out to be phenomenal season. Weekend rounds of 64,63 won him the Wales Open title before going on to land the US Open then returned to Celtic Manor last October and came away as Europe's Ryder Cup hero.
The TwentyTen course is familiar territory for McDowell who made steady progress on day one after setting off from the 11th - the perfect conditions in stark contrast to what was experienced during the Ryder Cup deluges and delays.
A six-footer for birdie on the 12th opened his account. And though a bogey came at 14, he replied with an eagle two at the risk-reward par four 15th after driving the green. He cut the corner at the 377-yard hole and drained a 40-footer across the green.
The front nine was a calmer affair, and although he lost his putting touch mid-round, birdies were converted at the sixth and seventh from 20 and 12 feet respectively.
“Decent day's work. Overall I’m very happy with the way I played. I went a little cold with the putter in the middle, but I’m really flighting the ball correctly and can see my way round the course," said McDowell after his round.
“It’s definitely been a good hunting ground for me and I’m hoping to continue that. It’s good, it’s positive and I know I can go low here.”
"There's no doubt when walking out there the mind wanders back to last year, some great memories."
“The game's back in decent shape, I've been working hard on my golf swing. Hit some nice quality iron shots today, it's positive and I can really see a score on this golf course, a chance to go low," added McDowell, who missed the cut at Wentworth last week.
The 31-year-old referred to last year's two final round as "127 was outrageously low" but didn't rule out some more hot scoring.
At four-under McDowell was joined in a share for third alongside compatriot Damien McGrane, who made a fine par save from the deep greenside bunker at the par three 10th, his final hole.
South African Keith Horne is the early leader on seven-under after a bogey-free 64. Horne, making his debut in the €2million event, arrived on Tuesday exhausted from 36 holes of trying - unsuccessfully - to qualify at Walton Heath for the US Open.
But he came home in a brilliant five-under 30 and denied suggestions that his bunker shot on the driveable par-four 15th was a shank.
“It was a hard shot and it just went straight right, but it was not a shank,” said the 29-year-old from Durban, who only turned professional five years ago after a spell in the army and then four years at university studying labour law.
Peter Hanson, McDowell's playing partner and Ryder Cup team-mate last year, was tucked in just behind Horne after a 65. Hanson had four successive birdies from the 14th and then more on the front nine, but there were also bogeys at the 13th and eighth.
Recent tour winners, Darren Clarke and Michael Hoey, are three under and level par respectively, while Shane Lowry, who qualified for the US Open at Walton Heath and enjoyed his best tournament as a professional at Wentworth, is one over after a 72.
Colm Moriarty carded the same after a late start, while former Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie - fresh from his first top 10 finish for nearly three years - began with a seven-over-par 78.
"I started bogey, bogey, bogey and could have gone home," said the 47-year-old Scot. "Now I'll waste my time tomorrow and then go home."
The top 65 and ties go through to the final two rounds, but Montgomerie will resume with only a handful of the 155-strong field behind him.
"I'm very tired, mentally more than physically," he added.
