Sebastian Soderberg continued his good form with an opening-round 63 to take the home lead at the Scandinavian Mixed Golf Championship on Thursday.
The Swede had an eagle and seven birdies to finish two shots ahead of South Africa's Dylan Frittelli and England's Alex Fitzpatrick in a tournament that saw 78 men and 78 women competing for a prize and a trophy.
“There’s a lot of family and friends here, and it’s easy to put extra pressure on yourself to perform well in front of them,” Soderberg said.
“I definitely felt a little bit of adrenaline going on the first tee shot, which isn’t common on Thursdays, but I got off to a good start and was glad everyone was there all day.”
Top 5 performances of our leaders 🏌️#VolvoScandinavianHybrid pic.twitter.com/QaZVoLb3Dr
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 6, 2024
The 33-year-old had three top-10 finishes in 2024 and finished second, second and third in consecutive tournaments to capture the Asian Swing and earn a spot in the PGA Championship.
His only victory on the DP World Tour to date came in a five-man play-off at the 2019 European Masters, which included Rory McIlroy.
Former champion Linn Grant, competing in her hometown of Helsingborg, and Ireland's Lauren Walsh were both the highest-placed players on the Ladies European Tour at five under.
Grant, the first female champion on the DP World Tour after lifting the trophy in 2022, offset a double bogey with an eagle while also making five birdies.