Hereford's David Park fired a level round 72 to lie six shots behind Spain's Diego Borrego in the Great North Open at De Vere Slaley Hall while Evesham's Jeremy Robinson shot a two over par 74.
Borrego rediscovered the form which saw him capture the Madeira Island Open in March with a flawless six under par 66.
The 30 year old Spaniard finished two shots clear of three players, Bradley Dredge, Andrew Raitt and Nicolas Vanhootegem who all opened with 68s, while five players carded opening 69s including the 2001 Volvo PGA Champion Andrew Oldcorn.
Borrego, who missed three cuts out of four after his win at Santo da Serra and finished outside the top 50 in his last two events, put the upturn in his fortunes down to increased confidence from the tee.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article