The 24-year-old will start Round 2 seven strokes back of Round 1 leader Ben An (61) in a tie for 26th, yet he could very easily have played his way out of the tournament before he made the turn.

A double-bogey on his opening hole – the par-5 10th where he left his second shot in the fairway bunker – put Lee on the back foot from the outset.

But he called upon the lessons he learned at the Betfred British Masters a fortnight ago to right the ship and get back to even par through nine holes.

A birdie at the par-5 third was his fourth in the space of six holes, a bogey at six countered by a birdie at seven in a round of 2-under 68 that kept his championship hopes alive.

“The main goal this week was just to keep my head in the game and to not get pissed off at small things, which I did two weeks ago,” Lee said of his learnings from the British Masters.

“It was kind of a good stepping-stone for today.

“It was a good, hard-earned 2-under which was really nice.

“Two weeks ago I was one of the favourites and I got a bit too far ahead of myself and high expectations.

“This week I just told myself to stay in the game and proud of the way I played today.”

Lee was the only Australian in red figures on day one.

First alternate for next week’s Open Championship, Cam Davis opened with a 1-over 71 as did Victorian Lucas Herbert. Harrison Endycott, Aaron Baddeley and Adam Scott are all one stroke further back at 2-over 72 in a tie for 123rd.

Kiwis Daniel Hillier (68) and Ryan Fox (69) are ted for 26th and 46th respectively.

Elsewhere around the world, Ryan Ruffels is one stroke off the lead at the Challenge Tour’s Euram Bank Open, Minjee Lee is three back at the DANA Open in Ohio and David McKenzie is tied for ninth at the Kaulig Companies Championship, the fourth senior major of the year.

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