Ewen Ferguson's yo-yo season continues with strong start in Turkey

In his last four DP World Tour events, Ferguson has either been up challenging near the top of the leaderboard, recording two top-ten finishes, or missing the cut.

His latest early exit came in last week’s Volvo China Open but, helped by using a weekend off to put in some hard work on his game, an opening five-under-par 67 at National Golf Club in Belek put a spring back in his step.

“I think my game is not far away and the margins in golf are small,” said the three-time DP World Tour winner. “Last week I didn’t have a great week, but it takes me time to build up my game and I’d had three weeks off before that.

“It’s different practising and competing. It’s a different feel when you get over shots and also thoughts you might not get when you are practising but you do when you are playing tournaments.

“Last week, I didn’t play awful, but I practised hard over the weekend and felt I found something in my game.”

Out in one of the first groups in the opening event on the circuit’s European Swing, Ferguson mixed five birdies with one bogey on his front nine before making a sixth gain of the day at the seventh - his 16th hole.

Swede Mikael Lindberg sets pace in Belek

“At the start of the day, there was no wind and the greens were really pure,” he added. “I kind of took advantage of that, which was nice. It’s not often you are first out, so I was putting on fresh-cut greens and that does make a difference.

“When I got on to the first hole, my tenth, I could feel it was starting to get a bit tougher, which I was not unhappy about knowing that people had still to tee off.”

On a day when Swede Mikael Lindberg carded a bogey-free 66 to set the pace, Grant Forrest, Richie Ramsay, Daniel Young and Euan Walker all signed for 71s.