Northern Ireland 20-year-old Tom McKibbin is the clubhouse leader on day one at the Singapore Classic after firing an opening eight-under-par 64.
McKibbin produced a flawless round of eight birdies and no dropped shots which gave him an early one-shot lead at Laguna National Golf Club.
“I navigated the course well, eight birdies and no bogeys is a nice way to start,” said McKibbin.
The Holywood man’s round continued his fine start to his DP World Tour career.
McKibbin, who turned 20 on 19 December, secured his full tour card by finishing in a share of sixth place at last November’s Challenge Tour Grand Final in Majorca.
He then achieved successive top-20 finishes in his first three events of this season which took place in South Africa in late November and December.
The Northern Irishman began 2023 by narrowly missing the cut at both the Abu Dhabi Championship and Dubai Desert Classic but was on course for a top-20 finish at last week’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship in the United Arab Emirates before a closing 74 dropped him to a share of 36th place.
“I played nicely last week, a few bad holes here and there, so it’s nice to continue that nice form,” added McKibbin, whose round left him one ahead of previous DP World Tour winners Finland’s Sami Valimaki and Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren plus France’s Matthieu Pavon.
“I’m getting pretty comfortable. It’s natural to me to come here and play now. It’s been good so far, hopefully I’ll continue like that the rest of the year.”
Hailing from the same Holywood Club as Rory McIlroy, McKibbin has benefited from getting advice from the world number one and the 20-year-old admits their bond has aided his development.
“I’ve played with Rory quite a bit, I’ve been able to watch him and playing with him has been valuable for me to see where my game is at.
“It’s been good for me to have some moments with him.”
McKibbin made a fast start at the Laguna National Golf Resort Club by carding three successive birdies from the second and continued that momentum by picking up five further gains including a closing four at the par-five final hole.