Michael Hoey looks set to end a miserable run of 11 missed cuts in succession this season in posting three under par 69 on the opening day of the Nordea Masters in Stockholm.

Hoey, who has earned just Euro 8,100 from his first two events to start the year, ended the day just two shots behind six players who share the lead on five under par in heatwave conditions on the Bro Hoff Slott course.

Among them is Scotland’s Scott Henry who pulled off a Seve Ballesteros 1979 Open Championship ‘car park’ shot at the last.

Henry’s drive flew a grandstand down the left side of the last and came to rest just 20 feet from a Euro 25,000 valued 1957 MG MGA ‘Roadster’ that the driver thought he had safely parked out of harm’s way.

Belfast’s Michael Hoey dressed in Swedish national colours on route to a round of 69.

The Scot avoided the ‘Roadster’ and a 50-foot high electronic scoreboard to find the green from where the current World No. 576 two-putter for a par.

Hoey’s round was not near as dramatic and included five birdies and two mid-round bogeys.

“I have always liked this course even though we haven’t been here for three years since Mikko Illonen won here in 2013,” said the Belfast-born Hoey.

“If you can get it off the tee and well out there, then you have a chance and I did drive it quite long today so that was the key.

“Then once on the greens, I was confident as anything from 20-feet out, and if you kept it on line was going to go in.

“I just struggled early on this year with all the travelling as I undertook 10 weeks in a row travelling to various tournaments, and I probably got my schedule wrong and that’s why I feel I have struggled.

“But then there has been good signs as last week at Wentworth I shot my best-ever first round score of 70 but then it’s always tough finishing late on Friday trying to make the cut and only missing out by a shot.

“We all know this game is a game of fractions but then I have enjoyed so much already being here at Bro Hoff Slot.”