LOCAL knowledge and a fierce determination not to drift into obscurity paid massive dividends for former Wentworth resident Thomas Bjorn on a weather-affected opening day of the BMW PGA Championship.

Bjorn hailed the best round of his entire career after carding a brilliant 62 courtesy of eight birdies and an eagle, a round completed just moments before the first of two suspensions of play due to the threat of lightning.

“I was signing my scorecard when the siren went and Stephen Gallacher looked at me and says, ‘You’re not having a very bad day, are you’?”

Bjorn said. “We could kind of feel there was something going on in the weather, so it was nice to get in.”

At ten under par, Bjorn held a two-shot lead over Ireland’s Shane Lowry, with France’s Gary Stal six under and Henrik Stenson and Players Championship winner Martin Kaymer another two strokes back.

Stenson could need as little as a top-30 finish this week to replace Adam Scott as world number one, the Australian beginning the Crowne Plaza Invitational with a one-overpar 71.

Bjorn missed the cut in last week’s Spanish Open and feared the worst in a tournament that has produced just one top-10 finish (in 1998) in 16 previous appearances.

“You shoot great rounds in your career but to shoot 62 on this course, you can’t ask for more,” said Bjorn, who went on to win the European Masters in 2011 the last time he shot 62 on the European Tour.

“I don’t really know where to start. Last week was awful and I was starting to feel a little frustrated with things.

Practice this week, I was not good either.

“To step out on this course of all courses and play like I did today was surprising. Although I lived here for nine years it’s not a place where I think it’s going to be a great week, but I have to stick my head down now and focus on the rest of the week.”

Bjorn, who looks set to qualify for his first Ryder Cup appearance since 2002, birdied the second, fourth and seventh to reach the turn in 32 before a superb scoring burst on the back nine.

The 43-year-old birdied the 10th and 11th and holed from just six feet for an eagle on the par-five 12th, before picking up further birdies on the 14th, 16th and 18th.

Yorkshireman Simon Dyson is seven shots off the lead on three under after shooting a solid 69.

Hartlepool’s Graeme Storm has also made a positive start with a 71 to sit in tied 35th spot.

Barnard Castle’s Rob Dinwiddie is a shot further back while Harrogate’s John Parry is tied 135th in six over.