Matt Wallace has made an excellent start to the Italian Open and sits in a six-way share of the lead at the end of the first round.

The 27-year-old was in particularly impressive form on the ‘back’ nine, coming home in a five-under-par score of 31 to shoot a 64 to leave him on seven-under alongside Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Alexander Bjork, defending champion Francesco Molinari, Jamie Donaldson and fellow Englishman Eddie Pepperell.

Moor Park club-mate Callum Shinkwin is also competing at Parco Reale di Monza and his challenge has begun with a one-under-par opening round of 70.

The Italian Open is the fifth event of the Rolex Series, the European Tour’s premium tournament category which offers a minimum prize fund of $7 million on each occasion.

Having teed off from the 10th, back-to-back birdies at the par five 14th and par four 15th saw the Pinner-based professional go ‘out’ in a two-under-par score of 33. But it was on his ‘back’ nine where this year’s Open de Portugal champion really started to climb the leaderboard.

Consecutive birdies on the par five first and par four second were followed by another on the par four fourth to move him to five-under. That improved further to six-under with a birdie three at six and although Wallace dropped a shot at the next hole – the par three seventh – that was immediately retrieved with a three at eight. And Wallace ensured he capitalised on all the par fives by finishing his opening 18 holes with a four on nine.

Bushey professional Shinkwin also started well, with birdies at the first and third, before dropping back to one-under with a bogey five at four.

The 24-year-old is 33rd in the Race to Dubai rankings largely as a result of finishing runner-up at the previous Rolex Series event, the Scottish Open, and he went out in a two-under-par 34 after a third birdie of his round on the ninth.

But Shinkwin was unable to push on from there, making a bogey five at 16 to leave him in a large group of players on one-under.