Wiltshire’s Ben Stow believes a six-week break In July after an injury, has left him feeling fresher for the China leg of the European Challenge Tour. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

WILTSHIRE’S Ben Stow celebrated his birthday in style by setting a new course record of 64 at Foshan Golf Club to lead the Foshan Open by one stroke after the opening day.

The 28-year-old sits one shot ahead of Germany’s Alexander Knappe, who would have joined Stow as holder of the course record of eight-under par, if not for a closing bogey to leave him on seven-under.

Another six players share third place on six-under, including 2017 Champion Oliver Farr.

Stow, playing in the first group of the day off the 10th tee, bounced back from a double bogey on the 17th hole – his eighth – with a birdie to make the turn in two-under.

The 2013 Brabazon Trophy winner then notched five consecutive gains from the second to the sixth, which catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard.

And a closing birdie saw him beat the existing course record of 65, set by Wales’ Rhys Davies and Aussie Scott Arnold.

Stow, alongside playing partners Wil Besseling and Simon Hawkes, raced around Foshan Golf Club, with their front nine taking just one hour and 50 minutes and Stow spoke of how much he enjoyed the pace of play.

“It was great to play so quickly,” Stow said. “We played the front nine in one hour and 50 minutes, which in tournament golf is unheard-of,” revealed Stow, who is currently 26th on the Road to Mallorca.

“It was great. We were out first and with Wil and Simon – none of us are slow – we didn’t really rush. We just played when we were ready. It was really enjoyable actually.

“I played great and putted well so I’m really chuffed. I’ve been working really hard recently so it’s nice to get some results,” said Stow, who was a member at Rushmore GC, on the Hampshire-Wiltshire border, as a junior.

The 2011 Faldo Series UK winner would love a top 15 finish to the season to earn promotion to the European Tour and join former Wiltshire team-mate Jordan Smith.

Stow added: “I played really solid and I just hit one bad tee shot down 17. Where I left my approach shot left me with a very, very fast putt and I just missed it coming back.

“I knew I was playing well and on 18 the wind was down when we played it. So I managed to get it quite a long way up 18 and then I easily made the green in two – then it was a good two-putt.”

The 2018 Prague Golf Challenge winner missed a period of time earlier this year through injury, having also suffered a serious knee injury before his breakthrough win a year ago.

But despite the frustration of being side-lined at the time, Stow admits he is now reaping the benefits of the enforced mid-season break.

“Traditionally I haven’t played very well in China, but I had six weeks off this year with an injury in July, and right now, I think it’s a bit of a saving grace because I feel fresh and quite chilled out,” said Stow, who spent four years playing for Kentucky University’s Wildcats.

“In previous years I’ve always played quite a lot and then got here and felt quite tired. So maybe the moral of the story is take a month off in July.”

Joining Farr in a tie for third place on six-under is Australia’s Cory Crawford, Royal Liverpool’s Italian Challenge Open Eneos Motor Oil Champion Matthew Jordan, Finland’s Roope Kakko, Kent’s Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge winner Steven Tiley and Italy’s Aron Zemmer.

Rounding off the top 10 in a tie for ninth place on five-under is Portugal’s Ricardo Santos and China’s Liu Yanwei, who is currently the leading Chinese player.

•The second round of the Foshan Open begins at 6.55am local time on Friday, with leader Stow due off at 11.10am.

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Welshman Rhys Davies is back in action on the European Challenge Tour in Morocco, after almost a year out spending time with his baby son. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

RHYS Davies is set to make his European Challenge Tour return at this week’s Lalla Aïcha Challenge Tour almost a year after stepping away from the game to spend more time with his young family.

The Welshman will return to action at the scene of his 2010 European Tour triumph, Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Morocco, where he captured the Trophée Hassan II title in spectacular fashion.

Seven years ago he closed with a seven-under par 66 to claim a two-shot victory over South African Louis Oosthuizen, who went on to claim the Claret Jug in The Open, at St Andrews that summer.

Four-time Challenge Tour winner Davies, who rose to 44th in the Official World Golf Ranking in his maiden season on the European Tour, returns to action for the first time since last November with a new mindset after a year spent enjoying time with his 16-month-old son.

“I needed a break,” said Davies. “Golf wise I was a little bit frazzled but also, I’ve got a young son at home, who I’ve really enjoyed spending time with over the last year or so – helping out as much as I can and just being a part of his early life.

“I’ve found it incredibly refreshing and I’ve just been really happy to spend that precious time with him,” added Davies, who was invited to be part of Colin Montgomerie’s backroom team at the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, as a rising star of European golf.

Rhys added: “I’ve played a couple of competition rounds at my golf club and played a small tournament a few weeks back where my golf was certainly quite mixed.

“It’s obviously going to be a very different challenge this week. It’s a strong golf course and it might take a while to get back into that slightly different and pressured environment.

“It’s going to be more intense than what I’ve been used to as of late but I’m looking forward to that challenge.

“I really don’t know what is going to happen, but I know I’m ready now to give it my best and to go out there and see how low I can go.”

Renowned for his exceptional short game, Davies was once described by Luke Donald as the “best putter in the world.”

He has twice graduated from the Challenge Tour, most recently in 2015.

However, it is in Morocco where he has achieved his best results, finishing runner-up at the Trophée Hassan II in 2011 – a year after winning in Rabat.

The Challenge Tour returns to Morocco this week for the first time in almost a decade, with the tournament coming at a pivotal time on the Road to Mallorca, with just four events remaining before the season-ending Challenge Tour Grand Final.

While Davies triumphed on the Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, which plays annual host to the European Tour, the Challenge Tour players will be faced with a new challenge this week when they tackle the equally testing Blue Course.

Davies will begin his first round at 8.20am local time alongside Austrian Martin Wiegele and England’s Paul Maddy, with day one getting under way in Rabat at 8am.

For live scores click here.

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