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England's Jordan Smith leads Portugal Masters by one shot after bogey-free 62

"I'm really happy with the way I played. I've been under the weather all week because I went on a stag do and caught the flu. Not been feeling my best, they say beware the injured golfer. I'm over the moon. I holed a lot of putts and did everything right" - Jordan Smith

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Highlights from the opening round of the Portugal Masters at Vilamoura

England's Jordan Smith opened up a one-shot lead on the first day of the Portugal Masters after firing an eagle and seven birdies in a bogey-free 62.

The 29-year-old produced a fine performance on the greens on Thursday, holing from 30 feet at the par-five fifth for his eagle and converting several lengthy birdie putts.

A 26-foot birdie at the eighth - his penultimate hole of the afternoon - saw Smith take the outright lead on nine under par, overtaking Joost Luiten and Jeff Winther at the summit.

Luiten and Winther each made eight birdies and no bogeys in their 63s to sit in a tie for second, one shot ahead of Robin Roussel, Gavin Green and Joakim Lagergren on seven under.

Having started at the 10th tee and made four birdies on his front nine, Smith sandwiched a long-range eagle at the fifth between birdies on four and six before picking up another shot at the par-three eighth to lead by one.

 Jordan Smith
Image: England's Jordan Smith leads the Portugal Masters by a shot after a flawless opening day

He said: "Anything like that you're over the moon with. I'm really happy with the way I played.

"I've been under the weather all week because I went on a stag do at the weekend and caught the flu.

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"Not been feeling my best, they say beware the injured golfer. Considering my prep hasn't been the best, I'm over the moon with it.

"The three wood into the par five that set up the eagle or the seven iron on 13 that I hit to two feet, those were probably my highlights. I holed a lot of putts and did everything right."

This week's event is the last chance for players to earn points to keep their playing privileges, and local favourite Ricardo Gouveia was among those who gave themselves a platform for a much-needed good result, beginning the tournament with a 66 on home soil.

Watch the Portugal Masters throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Friday from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event.

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