Eagle at the 18th propels Drumoig player to fine 68

Fife golfer Connor Syme is two shots off the lead at the European Open in Hamburg.

The Drumoig player eagled the 18th hole at the Green Eagle Golf courses for a four-under 68.

Syme also carded four birdies to lie two off leader Bryson Dechambeau.

The American comfortably outscored tournament favourites Paul Casey and Patrick Reed to take the firstround lead.

Dechambeau shot a six-under-par 66, which was three better than his English rival, while compatriot and Masters champion Reed was four strokes back courtesy of a birdie-birdie finish. Three Frenchmen – Joel Stalter, Romain Wattel and Mike Lorenzo-vera – and Germany’s Benedict Staben, led the immediate challenge a shot further back.

“It’s great to start out with six under par. I think it’s one of my lowest rounds on the European Tour so I’m very pleased,” the world number 23, playing in only his sixth regular tournament on the Tour outside of the majors and WGC events, said.

“I haven’t been hitting it my best so I’m still working on my game and it’s starting to turn into some form.

“I’m missing in the right places and making some putts which is great. If you do that out here you’re going to be up there.”

Starting at the 10th he carded four birdies in his opening nine holes and – although he dropped a shot at the parfour third – he produced three further birdies in his last six holes, including a brilliant approach to the 517-yard last with his third from behind a tree.

World number 15 Casey briefly had a share of the lead at four under through nine holes, including an eagle on the par-five 18th, and a birdie at the last saw him bounce back from a double bogey at the short eighth.

That left him in a large group, including compatriot David Horsey and Scotland’s David Drysdale, on three under. Among those a shot better off were Welshman Bradley Dredge, and English pair Steven Brown and Oliver Fisher.

Reed, who appeared to be hampered by a knee injury, began with a birdie but struggled to find the fairway all afternoon finding a lot of the left rough – which cost him a shot on the par-five 11th.

Having fought to make pars on many holes, he had a stroke of luck at the 17th when his birdie putt hit the back of the cup and dropped — otherwise it would have raced several feet past.

He followed that up by picking up another shot at the last to close on two under.

Syme is the leading Scot, one shot ahead of David Drysdale and two in front of Scott Jamieson and former Ryder Cup star Stephen Gallacher.

Marc Warren carded an opening round 73.

Connor Syme eagled the 18th to finish four-under par.