More island magic hands Winther Mallorca lead

Jeff Winther continued his fine scoring in Spain on the 2021 Race to Dubai as he carded an opening 62 to take a one shot lead at the Mallorca Golf Open.

The Dane signed for a 62 earlier in the season at the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open and he matched it at Golf Santa Ponsa, equalling the lowest round of his European Tour career and moving to eight under in the Balearic Islands.

South African Bryce Easton and Swede Niklas Lemke were his nearest challengers, a shot clear of local favourites Jorge Campillo and Alvaro Quiros and German pair Bernd Ritthammer and Matti Schmid.

Winther followed his 62 on Gran Canaria in April with a 64 and, when you add a 63 at the 2019 Open de España, four of his seven lowest European Tour rounds have come on Spanish soil.

A 2015 European Challenge Tour graduate who came through the Qualifying School in 2016, 2017 and 2018, he has been inside the top 100 on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex the past two seasons, and is on course for his best finish in 2021.

He reached nine under after 15 holes in round one on the par 70 layout and, while a 59 would not have made the record books due to preferred lies being in place, Winther was left to reflect on an impressive effort in what he admits is a laid back week.

"Very pleased," he said. "Played with two great guys today (Matthieu Pavon and Victor Dubuisson), we had a lot of fun out there, so it was lovely.

"I didn't have any expectations going into this week, got my family here so we are just trying to enjoy it.

"I took the whole day off yesterday, didn't touch a club. Warmed up on the range where we can only hit five irons. Apparently that's the way to do it."

Winther started with a bogey but hit back with a gain on the second before making four in a row from the fifth to turn in 31.

I took the whole day off yesterday, didn't touch a club. Warmed up on the range where we can only hit five irons. Apparently that's the way to do it.

A gain on the 13th kickstarted his round again and he added further birdies on the 15th, 17th and 18th in a fast finish.

Quiros made five birdies in six holes around the turn but also had two bogeys in his 64, while Campillo and Ritthammer both dropped a single shot in their rounds.

Schmid was level par at the turn after starting on the tenth but made six birdies on the front nine to come home in 29 and beat his lowest nine holes on the European Tour by two shots.

Home favourites Pep Angles and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, Italian Nino Bertasio, Thai Jazz Janewattananond, South African Zander Lombard and Swede Joel Sjöholm were three shots off the lead.

He started the back nine with a birdie and when he made four in a row again from the 12th, the magic number looked a very real possibility.

A par on the 16th stalled his momentum and when a wayward tee shot on the 17th saw him have to take a drop from the thick kikuyu, he surrendered a bogey to drop back to eight under.

Starting at the tenth, Easton chipped in on the 13th and then birdied the 14th, 15th, 17th, second, third, sixth and seventh to join the lead before he dropped a shot on the eighth.

Lemke made a fast start with an eagle on the par five second but after adding another on the fourth, he made eight pars in a row to slip back.

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