Hennie du Plessis overcame three bogeys on Thursday in the first round of the DP World Tour’s Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship at the Royal Golf Club with an eagle and five birdies to take up a share of 14th.

Du Plessis made his eagle on the final hole of his round after starting out on the 10th. With four birdies after his first five holes, he was sitting pretty. But he dropped a shot on the 17th ahead of the turn, and another on the fourth afterwards.

There was one more dropped shot on the seventh, with a birdie in between those last two drops on the sixth. But he made up for those when he made three on the par-five ninth, and he reached four-under-par through 18 holes.

He was three stokes off the first-round lead which was held by Spaniard Alejandro del Rey and Freddy Schott of Germany at seven-under-par. Del Rey was bogey-free for his 65, and Schott made an eagle, eight birdies, a bogey and a double for his opening round.

They were a stroke ahead of five players on six-under, and there were six on five-under-par in a share of eighth.

Du Plessis shared 14th with, amongst others, countryman Brandon Stone, who had six birdies and two bogeys in his opening four-under-par 68.

Shaun Norris was a shot back in a share of 20th on three-under-par, and Jayden Schaper was on two-under in a share of 32nd with, amongst others, Richard Sterne and Michael Hollick.