A SENSATIONAL closing four holes helped Graeme Storm make a strong start to the Saab Wales Open at Celtic Manor yesterday.

Storm carded a three-under-par 68 to lie just four shots off the early lead set by first-round pace setter Keith Horne.

The Hartlepool professional, attached to the Rockliffe Hall club in Hurworth, was two under at the turn after birdies on the second and fourth.

He picked up another shot at the 11th, but his round was in danger of imploding when a bogey at the 12th was followed by an ugly quadruple-bogey eight at the 14th.

However, Storm regrouped immediately, birdieing the 15th, 16th and 17th before recording an eagle three on the par-five 18th to pick up five shots in the closing four holes.

It was not such a good day for Simon Dyson, Kenneth Ferrie and Robert Dinwiddie, all of whom finished on one over par.

Dyson's three birdies counted for little when he carded four bogeys, while Ferrie's round was blighted by a double-bogey five on the 13th.

And while the atmosphere was never going to compare to last October's Ryder Cup, Graeme McDowell and Peter Hanson found Celtic Manor a happy hunting ground again.

Paired together for the opening round, the Swede fired a six under par 65 to tuck in just behind South African Horne.

Defending champion McDowell improved five shots on his start last year with a 67 that included a 30-foot eagle putt on the 15th - but ‘‘only'' a par on the hole with which he is most associated.

‘‘It's a tough second shot past my statue there,'' he joked about the 499-yard 16th, scene of the most important birdie he has ever made and probably ever will.

‘‘I hit it to about 20 feet and thought I made it, but I guess I've used all my magic up on that green.''

There was enough good stuff, though, to boost his belief that he will not need a 64-63 finish this time to head into his US Open title defence on the back of another win.

As it was last year, this is McDowell's final tune-up event for the second major of the season: ‘‘I've definitely got three or four days of chilling out planned next week - maybe go and wear out a groove in my mum's couch in Portrush.''

Ross Fisher and Miguel Angel Jimenez are the other two members of last year's European side taking part. Fisher had a level par 71, but Jimenez managed only a 73. The Spaniard was paired with Colin Montgomerie, but four days after his first top-10 finish for almost three years - seventh in the BMW PGA Championship - he was twice in the water over the closing stretch and signed for a 77.