José-Filipe Lima was faced with what could be a season-defining decision as the former European Tour winner pondered whether or not to withdraw from the ALLIANZ Open de Lyon despite being just one shot off the lead and chasing his best finish of the season after the opening day.

Lima carded a superb five under par round of 66 at Golf de Gouverneur to finish the day a shot behind leader Morten Orum Madsen, despite almost pulling out on the eve of the tournament with a recurring back injury.

He made the call to play and admitted he felt pain throughout the round but seven birdies, including four in a row from the eighth hole, helped him to tied second place alongside Bjorn Åkesson of Sweden, Frenchman Baptiste Chapellan, Australian Daniel Gaunt and England’s Eddie Pepperell.

 “It was a good round but a strange one,“ said Lima, who won the 2004 Saint Omer Open. “I was thinking of going home this morning, my back was really bad, but the physio stretched me out a little and I hit some balls and it was OK and then I felt good on the course.

“I had a pain in my back but I hit some good shots and I holed some good putts. I was hardly thinking about the shots, just wanted to hit it straight and get through it but it’s funny because I played to about seven or eight under out there, just missed a couple of putts, so it’s very strange.

“At the beginning of the year I was playing really well but I wasn’t getting results and then to be injured and get a good score is really weird. It’s a funny game.

“I can’t find words to describe how it happened today but I don’t know now if I am going to play tomorrow because my back feels really bad.

“I had a bad injury last year and I was out for three months and it’s the same pains now and they are getting worse and worse.”