Everything you need to know from day one at Chervò Golf Club.
Canter came of age, Burmester kept it cool, Jamieson chased the ace and Wallace had an electrifying experience on the opening day of the 2020 Italian Open.
Here is everything you need to know from Thursday in Brescia.
Joy of 60 for in-form Canter
Laurie Canter may only be 30 but it's been a long road to what is developing into a breakout season on the Race to Dubai. After making his European Tour debut as an amateur at The Open Championship in 2010, it took four successful trips to the Qualifying School and 78 events to claim a first top ten at the Hero Open in August. Since then he has claimed two more - including a second placed finish at the Portugal Masters - and on Thursday he carded a 60 that was the lowest round of the season, the lowest round Canter's career, the lowest round in the history of this event since 1972, and matched the lowest round to par in European Tour history. Preferred lies robbed him of a course record but we think he can still be pretty pleased with his day's work. "It feels great," he said. "The score, days like that, the back nine there, everything’s gone in. I gave myself some chances and it was just one of those days where you’ve just got to enjoy the ride." He takes a four shot lead into day two at 12 under.
Great Scott! Jamieson makes an ace
Scott Jamieson makes a beautiful swing with his six iron from 191 yards on just his second hole of the day and the ball pitches almost dead but slowly rolls into the cup for the 19th hole-in-one of the season. Jamieson is nonplussed. Not because he doesn't care or he's not sure if the ball has gone in - he actually thinks it's off the green. "It disappeared and I asked my caddie Rich, 'did that go in?'," he said. "Nobody on the green reacted and none of the guys in the group reacted. There was a little ledge behind the hole, I figured it had dropped off the back. As we were walking down I thought that the pitchmark was close to the hole and it might have gone in – thankfully it had."
Burmester is swinging easy
Dean Burmester arrived in Italy off the back of three missed cuts but produced an inspired bogey free performance to card a 64 and sit in a share of second after day one. The key? A different attitude. "Golf is a crazy game," he said. "I've been suffering a little bit with anxiousness since Ireland. I think I just put too much pressure on myself. Coming into this week I just said, you know what I'm just going to give it all up and whatever happens, happens. If the ball goes in the hole, great, if it doesn't, that's OK. Clearly that kind of mentality works." It certainly does, Dean.
Matt feels the power
Matt Wallace hit a power line with a shot that looked an absolute beauty on Thursday, so he could be forgiven for being frustrated at having to take it again. However, Matt doesn't have four European Tour titles for nothing, so it was no shock when he made a birdie anyway.
No putters required
There may be no fans to impress but the local players still want to put on a show in Italy. Lorenzo Gagli holed out early in the day and then Francesco Laporta did this. Bravo!
