Styal star David Horsey carded a four-under par in the opening round of the BMW Masters to regain his form.
Horsey desperately needed to find his touch in order to retain his European Tour card for the next season.
Ranked 146th in The Race to Dubai prize money list, Horsey had to put in a good performance at the Shanghai Masters to improve his chances of playing another European Tour season.
The two-time European Tour winner missed 15 cuts in his last 17 appearances on the tour. However, posting a 68, thanks to an incoming 33, saw him as an early clubhouse leader.
However, Macclesfield based Jamie Donaldson eclipsed the field on day one at Lake Malaren with a course-record 62 to lead by four shots.
But Donaldson’s two-over par 74 on Friday and a 72 on Saturday saw him fall off the pace before a final round 69 helped the 37-year-old to a 16th-place finish and a cheque for 70,000 euros.
Horsey, 27, followed his first-round 68 with scores of 71, 70 and 73 to finish on 282 alongside American John Daly. That was good enough for 33rd place and 41,892 euros.
