Ryan Fox tied the course
record as his bogey-free 7-under 65 opening round gave him a one shot lead at
the D+D REAL Slovakia Challenge around Senica’s Penati Golf Resort.

The New Zealander took full
advantage of perfect conditions around the stunning Jack Nicklaus-designed
Legend Course, making birdie at the 18^th with a lengthy putt to
better the earlier 66 of Romain Langasque.

"I played really nicely
today," said the 29 year old. "I probably hit a couple of bad wedge shots that
I got away with on the green by holing some nice putts but the rest of the day
was really solid."

"I drove the ball really
nicely – it’s nice and wide out there but you can still put yourself in trouble
if you hit bad tee shots, so overall it was a pretty stress-free day."

"There’s a little bit of thinking
round a few holes, a handful of tricky tee shots out there, but the rest of it
really suits the longer guys like me if you can keep it in play, and I managed
to do that quite nicely today."

Since returning to the
European Challenge Tour three weeks ago at the Najeti Open, Fox has immediately
found his best form, following a seventh place in France with a runner-up
finish in Scotland, and he is relishing being in contention to win tournaments
again.

 "The Najeti Open was probably a little bit
scrappy but I played really smart around there, and then I played really nicely
in Scotland – it was nice to see some putts fall and nice to keep it out of the
long stuff for the most part," added Fox.

"Being in contention on the
Sunday and hitting some good shots down the stretch was definitely a nice place
to be again – I really enjoyed that feeling because it’s been a while since
I’ve been in it."

"I’ve put myself in the
best position possible for later in the week and hopefully I can go out
tomorrow and put another score down early and be in with a chance over the
weekend."

Fox, who has the ability to
shoot low numbers, is enjoying the Penati Golf Resort layout the birdie
opportunities it presents.

"This course suits my style
because I like making birdies – I don’t know too many golfers that don’t. You
get a lot of wedges around here and on the majority of the greens, if you hit
good shots you get rewarded. You might have to be brave to take them on, but
you can hit a lot of shots close."

"I really enjoy that way of
playing golf – feeding it in off slopes to get it close and playing aggressive,
so this is a great golf course for me and really fun to play."