Open champion Els’s hard work looks to be paying dividends

The South African’s last win came at Royal Lytham last July when he lifted the Claret Jug for a second time.

Next month he will defend his title at Muirfield, where he won it first time around in 2002, and he feels his game is starting to shape up after an “iffy year”.

A good showing at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried on the 25th anniversary of this tournament would position him nicely.

The 43-year-old’s nine-under round gave him a one-stroke lead over the quartet of England’s Matthew Baldwin, Swede Alex Noren, home favourite Martin Kaymer and Dutchman Robery Jan Derksen.

“If you shoot a really low one, it’s nice,” he said. “It takes the pressure off the rest of the tournament a little bit. Although you’re leading, it doesn’t really mean much until Sunday, but if you get into the race, so to speak, early on in the tournament, it’s nice to be right in the hunt.”

Els arrived in Germany on the back of an impressive final-round 69 in the US Open on the punishing Merion course which saw him finish joint fourth on five over.

That followed a joint-sixth place at the BMW Championship at Wentworth last month.

“I’ve really been working hard at my game,” he said.

“Especially obviously going into the US Open and really around the PGA at Wentworth, I could feel things were coming around a bit.

“I had a bit of an iffy year up to now but I really feel that my swing feels good and my body feels good, touch wood, so I can swing the club properly.”

Els came within just six inches of equalling the course record as, having reached the 557-yard ninth, his final hole, in two he left his eagle putt agonisingly short and had to settle for a seventh birdie of the day.

He had already eagled the par-five sixth with a brilliant approach of almost 250 yards from the rough to within five feet of the flag at a green guarded by water.

Prior to that he had carded six birdies in his first 11 holes – including a 40-foot birdie at the short second.

Defending champion Danny Willett, of Sheffield, included four birdies in his opening 69.

That left him two behind Harrogate’s John Parry, fresh from a fine showing at the US Open. Parry had an eagle at the 546-yard par-5 sixth hole and four birdies in his 67.

Richard Finch, of Hull, offset four bogeys with four birdies for a level-par 72, four shots better than Malton’s Simon Dyson whose round was undermined by a damaging triple-bogey seven at the 16th.