Luke Donald hailed the "perfect start" after beginning his bid for a third BMW PGA Championship victory in six years with an opening 68 at Wentworth.
Donald, who won a playoff over Lee Westwood in 2011 to become world No.1 for the first time before successfully defending the title 12 months later, took advantage of ideal conditions to card six birdies and two bogeys on the West Course.
And although that was three shots adrift of clubhouse leaders Scott Hend and Y.E. Yang, the 38-year-old was delighted to see more signs of a return to form after coming into the week ranked 76th in the world.