Hansen leads after shooting course-record 63

Danish Ryder Cup player Soren Hansen broke the PGA Catalunya course record with a nine-under-par 63 in the Spanish Open began today - after starting with a double bogey.

An hour after Frenchman Thomas Levet had equalled the old mark set by England's Peter Baker nine years ago, Hansen completed one of the most remarkable rounds of his career.

"It was unbelievable," he said. "I hit an awful opening drive and it looked like a miserable day, but I came back with some great golf."

The 25-year-old from Copenhagen, part of Nick Faldo's side in Louisville last September, came back from his opening six with birdies on the next two holes, then finished the outward half with three more to turn in 33.

After that came one of only two eagles all day at the 527-yard 12th, another hat-trick of birdies from the 14th and one more on the 449-yard last despite driving into a fairway bunker.

It left American John Daly already seven behind on his return to golf after more than four months out - he is still banned by the US Tour and in February underwent lap-band stomach surgery - and Colin Montgomerie nine adrift.

Levet is alone in second, one ahead of Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara and also Callum Macaulay, looking more and more like the next big thing in the Scottish game.

Five years ago Levet played in a winning Ryder Cup side in America, but after that had a nightmare time battling vertigo. He spent months out of the game and feared for his future.

"You always think about not coming back, but what kept me going was that I was always improving," said the 40-year-old.

"I never got desperate to the point where I thought I was done. The doctor said it was curable in six months to a year and for me it was seven months."

He won last year's Andalucian Open in Marbella and added: "Now everything is behind me and I don't think about it any more."

His score was based on his playing of the par fives.

Levet was on the green in two at all four, birdied three and at the 542-yard seventh sank an eight-foot eagle putt.

Last season Macaulay won his national title - as Montgomerie did back in 1987 - and then starred for Scotland in their astonishing nine-stroke victory at the world amateur team championship.

The 25-year-old from Falkirk was second leading individual there behind American Rickie Fowler and then came through a 252-hole marathon to earn his European Tour card.

That finished on the same course where this week's event is taking place and Macaulay showed his liking for it again with eight birdies.

Not that it was the first time on the circuit he has had such a haul. In Madeira six weeks ago he took second place after eight in the last nine holes - including all the last six.

"I am loving it. There's nowhere else I'd rather be," said Macaulay, whose father Harry is his caddie.

"Madeira gave me a lot of confidence. I'd had a mental block before - I was getting to three under, but couldn't get to four - and I'm delighted with the way everything is going.

"My putter got hot and I suppose it's a minor advantage coming back to a course I already liked."

Daly matched Levet's eagle on the seventh and badly needed that after mixing three birdies with three bogeys in the preceding 15 holes.

"I'm happy with it," said the 43-year-old after not only his first round of 2009, but also his first since stomach surgery in February.

Down from 20 to 16st already he added: "I hit it pretty good. When I was really, really big it was tough getting through the ball and I was always hanging onto one of these love handles.

"My elbow used to be three feet out but now I can get it to my rib almost."

Montgomerie birdied two of the last three, but entered that stretch two-over and will need something better tomorrow just to survive the halfway cut.