Danny Willett building confidence for defence of Masters

Warren carded seven birdies and an eagle in a nine-under-par 63 at Saujana Golf and Country Club, which left him two shots ahead of Thai teenager Phachara Khongwatmai.

Willett, who has struggled for consistency since claiming his first major title at Augusta National last year, was part of a six-strong group three shots back on six under which included American Peter Uihlein and Hong Kong Open winner Sam Brazel.

Just eight weeks before defending his Masters title, Willett carded six birdies in his first bogey-free round since last year’s BMW PGA Championship.

“Around a golf course like this you need to be in the fairways to be able to get close to these flags and I rolled in a couple of putts,” said Willett, who missed the cut in Abu Dhabi and was 54th in Dubai. “It was relatively stress-free for six under, which is always nice.

“It’s not been the start I would have wanted to the season with how things have been but we’re still doing the same, still working hard, still training hard.

“We’re just trying to get the confidence levels up to where they have been and start hitting some good golf shots again. It was nice because we took what we’ve been working on to the course and played some good stuff.”

Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel recorded a 71 on his return to action following a knee injury.