Tom Vaillant posted a bogey-free eight under par round of 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies at Royal Golf Club.

The Frenchman, who graduated following one season on the European Challenge Tour in 2023, carded a superb five under par back nine – including back-to-back birdies to finish – to move one stroke clear of Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach and South African Zander Lombard.

A benign day in the Kingdom of Bahrain set the scene for perfect scoring conditions, with 84 of the 132-strong field finishing in red numbers after day one, with a hot start essential due to forecasted high winds on Friday.

Vaillant is finding his feet on the DP World Tour after a runner-up finish at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A saw him clinch promotion to the top tier, with the 22-year-old since missing three cuts from four starts in the 2024 season.

Canada’s Aaron Cockerill, Dane Sebastian Friedrichsen, Spain’s Alejandro del Rey and South African Ockie Strydom share fourth place on six under par, one clear of a group of five on five under par including England’s Marcus Armitage, who recorded his first professional hole-in-one at the par three 12th hole.

United Arab Emirates’ Joshua Grenville-Wood, opened up with a two under par 70.

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