DAYTON - Seven players head the field after Day 1 of the Portugal Masters 2013.
The leading pack, all tied at six under par, include Chilean Felipe Aguilar, Germany's Maximilian Kieffer, England's Graeme Storm and David Lynn, Wales' Jamie Donaldson, Alvaro Quiros of Spain and Ireland's Simon Thornton.
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Kaymer has positioned himself well for a shot at joining the early leaders.
Pre-tournament favourite Martin Kaymer is three under par and in joint 30th position. Last year's winner, Shane Lowry, finished Day 1 further down the leaderboard in 52nd position at just one under.
There could have been a sole leader in the Algarve going into Day 2 had Lynn not dropped a shot on the 18th hole. He may struggle to keep up if Quiros and Storm are able to make progress on their opening round.
The Spaniard made six birdies on his opening nine holes, while the Englishman also scored six but on the final nine.
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Elsewhere, potential title threat Ross Fisher shot a solid score of 66. He is four under par and well prepared to push on further up the field in Day 2.
Other notable results from players marked as worth watching in the Bleacher Report Portugal Masters preview include the 13:00 (BST) group consisting of Francesco Molinari, Joost Luiten and Nicolas Colsaerts.
The triumphant Seve Trophy trio all came in at three under. Each scored a round of 68 to join the chasers bunched together in 30th place alongside Kaymer.
Combined with the hotly tipped German, all four golfers should come to the fore over the next few days as serious contenders for this year's competition.
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Fleetwood has started well.
By contrast, the fortunes of Great Britain and Ireland's joint leader Donaldson, Tommy Fleetwood and Stephen Gallacher on Day 1 were very different.
The European Tour's official round-up of the shots of the day featured Donaldson and Fleetwood. The latter eventually finished the course at four under par, while Gallacher ended up with a score of 69 for one under.
Matteo Manassero also had a shot in the daily highlight reel, and the 20-year-old prodigy lingers just behind the first day's top players in 30th place with a round of 68 for three under par.
Another Bleacher Report pre-tournament pick, Hennie Otto, did well, ending his first day at five under par in joint eighth place. He is effectively in second behind the early leaders. Meanwhile, Englishman Tom Lewis also finished one under with a round of 7, while Miguel Angel Jimenez came in on par.
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Chris Doak is fighting to retain his placing in the Race To Dubai.
Chris Doak, ranked 112th in the Race to Dubai standings, was facing up to the prospect of losing his full playing privileges going into the Portugal Masters. With a four-under opening round of 67, the Scot now has the opportunity to ensure his card is paid off for the 2014 season under his own steam.
The only withdrawal on Day 1 was Ignacio Garrido, who left the tournament at seven over par.
Heading into the second day, the likes of Fisher, Otto, Kaymer and Donaldson will be looking to come well under par to build on their early results, while Lowry seeks to salvage his status as a potential competitor after a middling first outing.
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Hennie Otto had a strong first day.
Day 1 Leaderboard
A leaderboard of the top 30 golfers after the first day can be found below. To view the full leaderboard, visit the official European Tour site.
| Position | Player | To Par | Day 1 Score |
| 1 | Felipe Aguilar | -6 | 65 |
| 1 | Maximilian Kieffer | -6 | 65 |
| 1 | Graeme Storm | -6 | 65 |
| 1 | Jamie Donaldson | -6 | 65 |
| 1 | David Lynn | -6 | 65 |
| 1 | Alvaro Quiros | -6 | 65 |
| 1 | Simon Thornton | -6 | 65 |
| 8 | Mark Tullo | -5 | 66 |
| 8 | Hennie Otto | -5 | 66 |
| 8 | Bernd Wiesberger | -5 | 66 |
| 8 | Julien Quesne | -5 | 66 |
| 8 | Soren Hansen | -5 | 66 |
| 8 | Chris Wood | -5 | 66 |
| 8 | Marcel Siem | -5 | 66 |
| 8 | Scott Jamieson | -5 | 66 |
| 8 | Andy Sullivan | -5 | 66 |
| 17 | Paul Waring | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | Ross Fisher | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | David Horsey | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | Matthew Baldwin | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | Chris Doak | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | Seve Benson | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | Robert Coles | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | Tommy Fleetwood | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | Alejandro Canizares | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | Fredrik Andersson Hed | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | Jose Manuel Lara | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | Victor Dubuisson | -4 | 67 |
| 17 | Eddie Pepperell | -4 | 67 |
| 30 | Martin Kaymer | -3 | 68 |
| 30 | Matteo Manassero | -3 | 68 |
| 30 | Anthony Wall | -3 | 68 |
| 30 | Joost Luiten | -3 | 68 |
| 30 | Nicolas Colsaerts | -3 | 68 |
| 30 | Francesco Molinari | -3 | 68 |
| 30 | Michael Hoey | -3 | 68 |
EuropeanTour.com
BleacherReport
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