Ludvig Åberg called it "a treat to play well" at Wentworth Club after making a stunning start to the 2025 BMW PGA Championship.
Taking his place in a star-studded field for the third Rolex Series event of the year, World Number 14 Åberg produced a putting masterclass on his way to an opening 64.
He said: "It's one of my favourite events of the year and it's really nice to be here.
"Obviously the golf course is in great shape and the crowds are always amazing. It's a treat to play here and it's a treat to play well here as well."
The Ryder Cup-bound Swede started his round with a bogey after an errant tee-shot at the first but bounced back brilliantly, making nine birdies over the next 17 holes to reach eight under par and earn a share of the early clubhouse lead.
Åberg saved his best until last, finishing with a hat-trick of birdies at the 16th, 17th and 18th and playing some exceptional golf along the way.
After nearly spinning his approach at the 16th into the hole before settling for a close-range birdie, Åberg holed his monster birdie putt from just off the 17th green to move within one shot of early leader Tom Vaillant.
And when play resumed following a 90-minute weather delay, Åberg birdied the 18th from eight feet to join the lead.
He added: "I felt like once I got on the greens, I was rolling the putter really nice and tried to be aggressive with the speed. I managed to make a lot of putts, which is nice.
"Any time you shoot that kind of score, I think you need to be good on the greens, and that was what it was today."
Åberg played alongside his European Ryder Cup team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick in round one and enjoyed his company.
He said: "Matt, we get along great. He's a great guy. It's very easy to be around him, and we can chat about all sorts of things that are not even golf related, so that's always nice.
"Today was one of those days where we both played pretty well. Hopefully we can do that in New York in a couple of weeks' time too."
