Aguilar two clear after opening 65 in Austria

Chile’s Felipe Aguilar carded his best round on the European Tour for 17 months to take a twoshot lead on the first day of the Lyoness Open in Austria.

The world No 399’s sevenunder-par 65 took him clear of the chasing pack at the Diamond Country Club in Atzenbrugg outside Vienna.

South Africa’s Jaco van Zyl, Sweden’s Johan Carlsson and England’s former Walker Cup winner Ashley Chesters are in joint second with two other Englishmen, Graeme Storm and Oliver Wilson, a further shot behind in a tie for fifth with France’s Joel Stalter.

Duncan Stewart was top Scot after a 71, one ahead of Stephen Gallacher.

No-one could match the form of the 42-year-old Aguilar, whose last win came in 2014, on the front nine as he raced to five under after just seven holes and a birdie at the 10th put him in the outright lead only for him to bogey the next.

However, he responded with birdies at 13 and 14 but failed to capitalise on the back-to-back par fives and the par-three last but still had enough to pass clubhouse leaders Van Zyl and Carlsson, later joined by Chesters.

Home favourite and 2012 champion Bernd Wiesberger, who admitted pre-tournament he has eyes on next week’s US Open, suffered from a loss of concentration having taken a share of the early lead.

A run of five birdies in six holes from the 15th, having started on the back nine, was ruined by a lost ball off the tee at the fourth and a double-bogey on the eighth after a poor greenside bunker shot saw the Austrian, one of only two players in the world’s top 100 in the field, finish two under.