Thongchai Jaidee packed  a punch at the Omega European Masters and signed for blemish-free cards to join the share of fourth.

After shooting 80-73 in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow on his last competitive start, Thongchai Jaidee found the familiar surroundings of Crans-sur-Sierre much more to this liking as he hung up a bogey-free 5-under-par 32-33=65 in the first round of the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.

                                              Thongchai Jaidee made a great impact on Day 1

That's just a single swing behind leaders Miguel Angel Jimenez, Tyrrell Hatton and Scott Hend.

Jaidee is a perfect 6-for-6 at the unique mountainside track and today's 65 matched his round one score from 2009 when he went on to post T5, his best finish in the event. The Thai star started his afternoon lap with six straight pars before his round took flight with a run of four successive birdies from Nos. 7-10.

He found one more red number at 15 and three closing pars left him just one off the pace. He said, "I hit a lot of good tee shots today. You have to keep the ball in play to score on this course. The fairways are quite tight so you need to keep the ball in play and hit as many greens as you can. I putted really well good. I didn’t miss any putts from three to four feet. That’s the key for me today and I gained a lot of confidence from the way I putted.

It’s a good golf course. The greens are tricky. You have to be able to read the greens well. I worked well with my caddy today. I am happy with the way I played. I enjoyed myself out there. I had a good run of birdies out there, starting from the seventh."

Meanwhile, another Thai star Pavit has made his debut at the event, which is the only tournament on European soil to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.