Cameron Adam off to strong start in Belgium after feeling 'ready to go'

On a day when South African Zander Lombard shot the lights out with an eight-under-par 63, DP World Tour rookie Adam opened with a 66 to sit handily-placed.

“It was good,” declared the Scot after starting with a bogey but then signing for seven birdies. “Far from perfect as there were a few sloppy bogeys in there, particularly on 16, but, for the large part of the round, I kept it in play and was hitting it nice and close and rolled a few putts in.”

With fellow left-hander Jacob Skov Olesen also shining as he opened with a 64, is this a course that suits Adam’s eye? “Obviously I played well today, but it might not suit my eye if I hit in the trees a few more times,” he replied, smiling, to that question.

On Monday, Adam came up short along with Ewen Ferguson in a 36-hole US Open qualifier at Walton Heath. In Adam’s case, though, that had still been a worthwhile exercise after a two-week break on the schedule.

“I think going down to Walton Heath was really important for me just to get a competitive environment before coming here, where I didn’t play the course as much as I normally would,” said last year’s Global Amateur Pathway winner.

“I only played ten holes coming into it, but I felt my game was really good and was confident after Walton Heath that I was in a good place to go and play well.

“I normally see the whole course, but, after I’d played ten holes, it started raining and I was like ‘no more’. I just felt I was in a good enough spot that I could do that and walked the rest of the course with Gregor [Tait, his caddie] and we were ready to go.”

On a low-scoring day, new dad Calum Hill and Scott Jamieson both signed for 67s while Richie Ramsay posted a 68, one less than Connor Syme.

Making his 300th DP World Tour appearance, Eddie Pepperell had a hole-in-one - the fourth of his career - at the 194-yard 15th using a 6-iron as the Englishman signed for a 69.