Paul McGinley broke clear of a three-way tie with a six-under-par 67 today to take the early lead in the first round of the Moroccan Open.
He began with an eagle and finished with a birdie as he climbed past American Craig Hainline, Swede Michael Jonzon and English rookie Neil Cheetham, who all carded opening 68s.
"This is a very long course, the longest I've played apart from Firestone last year," said McGinley, "so you know you've had a good round when you can shoot a 66 over it.
"I needed a five wood to make the green on my first hole for the eagle because there was still a lot of dew around, but I hit it to 20 feet and made the putt.
McGinley is the second-highest ranked European player on the Ryder Cup standings (14th) in the Morocco event and the Dubliner is keen to become the latest Irishman to feature in the Ryder Cup.
"I have the Ryder Cup at the back of my mind but I have to realise that I'm only a quarter of the way there, even if I'm only four places out of the top 10."