Cameron Percy produced a brilliant birdie blitz around the turn to take a one-shot lead after day one of the ISPS HANDA Senior Open.
The Australian teed off in the favourable early conditions at The Gleneagles Hotel and made the most of the calm winds, recording four birdies in a row from the ninth in a 63 that got him to seven under.
Frenchman Lionel Alexandre was his nearest rival after a bogey-free 64, one shot ahead of four-time Major champion Ernie Els, 2018 winner of this event Miguel Ángel Jiménez and American duo Tom Penrice Jr and Pat Perez.
Percy has yet to claim a senior win since turning 50 in May 2024 but he has made all 81 of his cuts on the Champions Tour and in 2025 finished in the top ten at this event, the Senior PGA Championship and the U.S. Senior Open.
That suggests a win may not be far away and he was happy with his performance on the King's Course after enjoying some success with his preparations.
"I drove it really good but you have to here," he said. "I didn't hit in the rough once and so that was really nice.
"Seemed to have really good numbers, and I stopped pretty close to the hole and made a couple of putts. The par fives, I drove on in two and the short par four I drove, and that helped.
"Sunningdale was incredible last year. Any time I can come over here and play golf, I'm very happy.
"I've never been here before. But I found something late yesterday. The last four holes I hit it really nicely, and did it again today. Hopefully I'll keep doing that and I'll be okay."
Percy started well with birdies on the second and third but really came to life with those four birdies in a row that sent him flying up the leaderboard.
He dropped his only shot of the day on the 13th but picked it back up on the driveable par-four next before adding a closing gain on the last.
Alexandre made his first birdie of the day on the seventh and they came at regular intervals after that as he added gains on the ninth, tenth, 12th, 14th and 18th.
"Today it was really, really cool," he said. "My caddie is a really good friend. We joke a lot on the course.
"No, I just take it as a regular tournament on the Tour. I see the same guys. Maybe some, a few more names that are playing in the States but no, it's a normal tournament.
"I'm going to try to manage for three more rounds and then we'll see at the end."
Perez was also bogey-free in his first Senior Open since turning 50 in March, while Jiménez and Els both dropped single shots in their rounds.
Penrice Jr turned in a one-over 35 with a double-bogey on the sixth but made four birdies from the tenth before eagling the 14th to catapult himself up the leaderboard.
American duo Jerry Kelly and Taggart Ridings, Italian Emanuele Canonica, Swede Johan Edfors and Australian Michael Wright were at four under, one clear of a group contaning two-time Major champion Zach Johnson and fellow Ryder Cuppers Boo Weekley and David Howell.
