Ashun Wu matched his lowest round on the DP World Tour in almost four years as a flawless 63 earned him a one-shot lead after a low-scoring first round at the Omega European Masters.
The Chinese star has struggled for consistency this season but was firing on all cylinders on Thursday as he made seven birdies over the par-70 Severiano Ballesteros Course at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club.
That saw him post his best score since the opening round of the Open de España presented by Madrid in 2022 and edge ahead of a five-strong group of players that included defending champion Thriston Lawrence, Angel Ayora, Shubhankar Sharma, Nicolai von Dellingshausen and Todd Clements.
After a birdie at the second, Wu closed out his front nine with a hat-trick of birdies but at that stage he was still two shots adrift of the clubhouse lead.
The 41-year-old began his back nine with a series of pars before he found his mojo again, following a 53-feet birdie putt at the par three 13th with birdies at both the par five 14th and 15th to hit the summit on his own.
He safely parred his way home in stress-free fashion, revealing his hopes he is reaping the rewards for working on his game during the recent summer break on the schedule.
Two-time champion Lawrence appeared most likely to set the pace on the opening day when he fired six front-nine birdies, but his momentum stalled on the back nine as he settled for a bogey-free 64.
Victory this week would see the South African become the first player since Severiano Ballesteros to win the tournament on three occassions since it formed part of the DP World Tour's inaugural season in 1972.
Despite the exquisite start to his round, largely through stellar approach play, his par at the par five 14th after his original tee shot went out of bounds [OB] will likely be just as much a source of satisfaction.
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