HAMBURG, Germany — An unheralded German pulled off a surprise as he fired a 9-under-par 64 to emerge as the first-round leader by four shots in the European Open.

Ranked No. 818, the 24-year-old De Bruyn made 11 birdies at Green Eagle Golf Courses in Hamburg, including six of his first seven holes and then each of his final four holes.

He missed the cut in six of his last eight tournaments, with the undoubted highlight in that period being a tie for 13th at the Indian Open.

De Bruyn, who graduated from qualifying school at the end of 2023, admitted that he was also surprised with his sizzling performance.

“I can’t explain what happened out there,” Bruyn said.

“But I was just in the moment and the birdies kept coming. I was hitting the ball well in the right areas and my putting was great.”

“I was six-under through seven and didn’t really believe it. I hadn’t been playing great coming into the week, so I had no expectation. I was just looking to take it shot by shot and focus on hitting draws. It worked out well for me today.”

“There were plenty of spectators out there for me today and I always enjoy playing in front of my home crowd. The more birdies I was making, the bigger the crowd got which was quite funny. I’m proud to play such a good round here.”

Laurie Canter of England and Jack Davidson of Wales, who is ranked No. 810, were tied for second place after shooting 68s in a rare par 73 layout on the European tour.