Omega European Masters 2015: Leaderboard Scores and Highlights from Thursday

Frenchman Gregory Havret leads the 2015 Omega European Masters by one shot after finishing on seven under after Day 1. Denmark's Lasse Jensen finished one adrift after hitting six birdies in a round of six under.

Behind them, nine players finished Thursday's round at five under, one shot ahead of defending champion David Lipsky. The American closed out on 66, after fog had delayed the start of play on the beautiful Crans-sur-Sierre course in the shadow of the Swiss Alps.

While Lipsky thrived, world No. 10 Sergio Garcia endured a tough start. The Spaniard shot a six on the opening par-four hole for a damaging early double bogey. Garcia soon found himself three over after three holes and finished the day way off the pace at one-under.

By contrast, a quartet of Englishmen, Tyrrell Hatton, Seve Benson, Richard Bland and Danny Willett, finished the day on 65. They were joined by surprise package Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand.

Here's what the leaderboard looks like after the opening day's play:

Position	Player	Day 1 Score	Overall
1	Gregory Havret	-7	63
2	Lasse Jensen	-6	64
T3	Danny Willett	-5	65
T3	Seve Benson	-5	65
T3	Jazz Janewattananond	-5	65
T3	Richard Bland	-5	65
T3	Pelle Edberg	-5	65
T3	Y.E. Yang	-5	65
T3	Rikard Karlberg	-5	65
T3	Tyrrell Hatton	-5	65

For a look at the full leaderboard, go to EuropeanTour.com.

Recap

Havret started in steady fashion by hitting par over the first three holes. A pair of birdies followed as the Frenchman built momentum.

The highlight of his day came at the 13th, when he hit a stunning ace at the par three. The European Tour official Twitter account provided details of the drive:

Consecutive birdies followed on the 14th and 15th as Havret entered the clubhouse in top spot:

Meanwhile, Hatton set the tone for his day by thriving over the first nine:

Hitting six birdies on the front half of the course briefly put him in the lead. But a bogey on the 12th gave Havret the initiative.

Hatton still had the chance to take top spot and even share a course-record score. But he suffered a horrific triple bogey on the par-four 18th:

There was no such blemish on Jensen's scorecard. His 64 was bogey-free after he joined the tournament as a late reserve, per Sky Sports. Jensen was one player who made a late finish to Day 1 thanks to the weather delays.

One player who enjoyed something of a mercurial day was Thailand's Janewattananond. His path to a share of third featured three bogies, at the fourth, sixth and 16th holes. But he also hit an eagle on the 14th to go with six birdies. That boom-or-bust scorecard still left him at five under.

The day also featured a quite remarkable comeback from Benson. The European Tour official Twitter feed detailed his march to the five-under score he held when he went to the clubhouse:

He hit a bogey on the second and fourth holes. But a run of four birdies in a row, beginning on the par-four 12th, helped Benson finish the day in style.

Benson had built a strong finish, but Lipsky made a spectacular start. Things began with an exceptional shot from the bunker on the par-four first:

That exquisite shot helped the defending champion to a birdie, something he repeated on the seventh and 17th par-four holes, as well as the ninth and 15th par fives. A bogey on the 10th was the lone blot on Lipsky's scorecard.

Garcia certainly took longer to get going. After the double bogey at the first, followed by a bogey on the second to start his day badly, he offered a reminder of his quality at the tricky fifth hole. A dogleg that begins straight but veers into a right-angled turn, the par-four hole can present its problems. But Garcia made a great start with an exceptional drive:

That shot helped Garcia to a birdie on the fifth. But his progress seemed set to be disrupted when he found himself on the down slope in the bunker on the par-four seventh. Yet another gorgeous chip appeared to get him out of trouble only for a troubling dip on the green to deny him landing within touching distance of the pin.

Garcia nearly hit a birdie putt on a green that veers from right to left. But he had to settle for par, not a bad result on a hole this tricky, but not what he needed after his tough start to the day.

He birdied on the eighth after again being forced to chip out of a bunker, which left Garcia needing to birdie the ninth to head into the back nine at level par.

The Spaniard started the 633-yard par-five ninth with a powerful drive that hooked back in from the right. His second shot was even better, a massive hit which took a straight line to the pin:

Garcia then made birdie to get himself back into the red. It marked a great turnaround after his rocky beginning.

Lead changes became sharp and swift on the back nine. Sweden's Pelle Edberg notably felt the fickle force of fate after playing himself into a commanding position heading on to the 16th:

But a bogey on the par-three hole soon dropped Edberg into the increasingly deep pack of players on five under.

Ultimately, the day belonged to Havret. He was efficient early on, hitting par five times over the first nine.

The Frenchman stepped things up on the back nine once he reached the 13th. Making quick work of the par fives at the 14th and 15th holes positioned him to snatch top spot.

The likes of Garcia in particular, who owns an excellent record on this course, according to Sky Sports, will be looking for major improvement on Day 2.

All scorecard information per EuropeanTour.com.