VALE DE LOBO, Portugal, April 17 (UPI) -- Swede Fredrik Jacobson set a course record with an 8-under-par 64 Thursday and had a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Algarve Open de Portugal.
Jacobson, who won his first European Tour title earlier this season in the Omega Hong Kong Open, had three straight birdies beginning at the third and made the turn at 32.
"I didn't expect that, I probably lost five balls in practice yesterday," said the 28-year-old Jacobson, who played for the first time after a 10-week layoff due to a left wrist injury.
Jacobson cooled down with five straight pars, but birdied the 15th hole as well as the final two holes to break the previous course record by two shots.
"Normally I don't do well at first after some time off and am a slow starter," Jacobson said. "I was actually a bit all over the place off the tee, but the rest of my game was good."
He was two shots ahead of England's Greg Owen while Bradley Dredge of Wales and Spaniard Carlos Rodiles were tied for third at 69.
Only four players in the 156-man field broke 70.
England's Lee Westwood, who helped Europe defeat the United States in last year's Ryder Cup, was among those who struggled, carding a 9-over 81.
Westwood started on the back nine and had a quadruple-bogey eight on the 470-yard first. He also carded an 81 in the third round of the Volvo Masters last November and an 83 at the PGA Championship last August.
Europe's No. 1 just three seasons ago and the world No. 4 the following year, Westwood has fallen to 237th and has gone nearly two years without a top-10 finish.
Phillip Price of Wales, trying for a record-tying third win in the tournament, came back from an opening double-bogey to get to 1-under with three to play, but bogeyed two of them. Price was tied for 32nd.
