• Castello Masters, Round One

Garcia makes bright start at Castello Masters

Sergio Garcia found form at Club de Campo © Getty Images

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Just a day after stating his desire to secure a place in the 2012 Ryder Cup team, Sergio Garcia boosted his prospects by moving into contention after the first round of the Castello Masters.

The Spaniard has endured another mixed season, struggling for consistency and looking out of love with the game, but showing up well in the majors. There is no doubt the quality is there for Garcia if he can find the secret and he showed flashes of quality during the opening 18 holes at Club de Campo.

Things started disappointingly for Garcia as a run of pars were broken by a bogey at the 14th, his fifth, but he caught fire coming home to surge up the leaderboard.

The putter has been the Achilles heel for Garcia for so long, but a three-week break saw him approach his task with vigour and he holed a string of decent putts - with a fist-pump after a birdie on his final hole showing his desire to mount a challenge.

Birdies at the second, fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth helped Garcia sign for a four-under 67.

"I had a slow start and was not feeling that great on the front nine, 10 to 18 for me. The two or three chances I had I hit good putts but they did not go in," Garcia, who hit 16 greens in regulation, told Sky Sports.

"I got things going on the back nine and I think the par putt on one was huge. It was the first putt I made in the round, it got me going and then I made some nice putts."

Fresh from his win at the Portugal Masters, Tom Lewis endured a mixed day. Starting on the back nine, he went out in 38 but came back in 33 to card an opening 71 and later reported to feeling unwell.

England's Ross McGowan, the world No. 543, leads the field at seven-under after securing five birdies and an eagle. Fabrizio Zanotti and Richard McEvoy share second place at five-under.

Italian sensation Matteo Manassero is five shots off the top, while Jose Maria Olazabal, who could skipper Manassero at next year's Ryder Cup, is one-over.

The man Olazabal inherited the role from, Colin Montgomerie, had 17 pars in a round of 70.

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