Wiltshire golfer Jordan Smith starts with a one-under round at BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth

Derry Hill’s Smith is making just his second appearance at the European Tour’s flagship event and was amongst the earliest starters at Wentworth this morning.

The 25-year-old roared to the top of the leaderboard early on after an eagle three at the par-five fourth hole, although things derailed as he approached the turn.

A run of three bogeys in succession from hole seven to nine dropped Bowood player Smith back to one-over for the day.

A sequence of pars as Smith began the back nine helped steady the ship before a birdie at the 13th had him back level.

A fourth bogey of the day then arrived at hole 15, but Smith rallied over the closing holes and birdied numbers 16 and 17 before rounding off his day with a par at the last for a one-under opening round.

“Anything in the red after the first day is always good. I hit a lot of good shots, although I hit some terrible ones too. Overall, I am pretty happy,” said Smith.

“The putt at 16 got me back on track and then I holed a nice one at 17 too to get me under par. It was lovely to see those balls go in.

“There was a bit of a wobble before the turn, but you know you have three par-fives on the back nine. With me being quite aggressive, I look to take advantage of that.”

After glorious weather in Surrey over Tuesday and Wednesday’s practice rounds, the early-morning starters were greeted by wet weather as they began the competitive action.

Smith admits that did play its part in proceedings, making his under-par start all the more satisfying.

“The greens were a lot softer when it came to hitting or pitching into them and chipping,” he said.

“They were quite slow to start with too, but as the round went on you get used to it and I am happy with how it has gone.”

Smith is due out for his second round at 12.10pm tomorrow, playing alongside Italy’s 2013 champion Matteo Manassero and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson.