Thomas Pieters and John Daly among group of four to break course record at D+D Real Czech Masters

Thomas Pieters sent a timely reminder of his Ryder Cup credentials as he was one of four players to fire a course record of 64 and take a one-shot lead after the opening round of the D+D Real Czech Masters.

The Belgian, who will likely need to rely on a captain's pick from Thomas Bjorn, hit a flawless eight-birdie effort at the Albatross Golf Resort with John Daly, Callum Tarren and Gavin Green also following suit.

Lee Slattery, runner-up last year, finished with three straight birdies to sit one shot further back alongside Andrea Pavin, Nacho Elvira, Jeff Winther, Tapio Pulkkanen, with Eddie Pepperell, chasing automatic Ryder Cup qualification, in the group two shots back.

Pieters, who picked up four points as a wildcard on his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine, won his maiden European Tour title at the event in Prague in 2015 and opened his round with back-to-back birdies before two further gains at the sixth and eighth saw him turn in 32.

The world No 58 picked up a further four shots in a six-hole stretch on the back nine to take the lead before he was joined at the top of the leaderboard.

"I'd rather go one better here and then do the same next week but I'm going to worry about tomorrow first and then Saturday, a day at a time," Pieters said.

"I drove it pretty well and I putted really nicely. I'm just keeping going whatever I had going in America [where he was sixth in the US PGA] and I'm happy with the start."

Daly, who won the 1991 US PGA and 1995 Open Championship, rolled back the years as he matched Pieters' blemish-free round thanks to a closing birdie - his eighth of the day - at the 18th.

England's Tarren, playing in his debut European Tour event, mixed nine birdies with a solitary dropped shot to equal the new course record while Green picked up four shots on his back nine, including an eagle at the 10th to finish at eight-under par.

Pepperell, who won his maiden European Tour title earlier this season at the Qatar Masters, knew a victory this week could move him into the automatic places for next month's Ryder Cup and he began promisingly with a six-under 66.

The 27-year-old birdied the 10th, 12th and bounced back from his only birdie of the day at the 17th with a gain at the next before picking four further gains over his back nine.

"Apparently I could be close to the Ryder Cup team, but it's not something I'm focused on," Pepperell said.

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"If I hit a bad six iron then I'm so angry with that that the Ryder Cup is well out of the mind, but that's a good thing that I'm like that right now and I intend it to stay that way.

"I don't feel any extra pressure, I'm sure Thomas doesn't want me on his team! Usually, I'm a slow starter so to have given myself something to build on this early in the week is pleasing."

Also among the group two shots off the lead are Europe's vice-captaincy duo Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington.

Westwood, whose only dropped shot of the day came at the 17th having started at the 10th, made five birdies in an impressive back nine to surge into contention while Harrington avoided a dropped shot in a six-birdie effort.

Paul Waring, who won his first European Tour title last week at the Nordea Masters, Scotland's Connor Syme, Peter Hanson, Andrew Dodt, Nino Bertasio and Soomin Lee completed the pack at six under.

Watch the D+D Real Czech Masters throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf. Live coverage continues on Friday from 10am.