Justin Rose will attempt to chase down runaway leader Thomas Bjorn after getting himself off to a steady start in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

The Hampshire star carded an opening round of two-under-par, but finds himself eight shots adrift of Danish ace Bjorn, who shot a course-record 62.

Rose’s day began badly, as he bogeyed the first three holes, but a sensational approach at the fourth earned him an eagle and kickstarted his day. Birdies at seven, nine and ten would follow, and although he gave one back at 11, he picked up further shots at 12 and 14.

Rose had one final blemish on his card, dropping a shot at 15, but it was still a solid start to a tournament he is desperate to win.

Bjorn is the one who everyone is trying to catch, however, after a scintillating display.

Out early in the morning, the 43-year-old was back in the clubhouse reflecting on a magnificent ten-under-par effort that he described as “absolutely” his best ever, before two lengthy weather delays interrupted play for the rest of the field.

“To go out on this golf course of all places and play like I did today is a little bit surprising,” said Bjorn, who leads by two from Ireland’s Shane Lowry.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had any sort of result on this golf course.

“It’s not a place where I come in here and think ‘This is going to be a great week’ but I guess I’ve got to start sticking my head down for the rest of the week now and try and focus on what’s ahead.”

Bjorn added: “You shoot great rounds of golf in your career, but to shoot 62 on this golf course, you can’t ask for much more.”