Former US PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel is hoping a change in putter will help end a nine-year winless drought after posting a 5-under-par 67 on a rain-lashed first day of the 100th Spanish Open.

Micheel, ranked 608th in the world, led by one stroke on Thursday after eight birdies and a bogey on the last hole in extremely difficult conditions on the Real de Golf de Sevilla course.

“It’s the first time in two years I’ve tried a new putter and I also put the ball more forward in my stance to get more loft and the combination seemed to work well,” Micheel said.

Spaniard Jorge Capillo and the England pair of Robert Rock and Danny Willett were tied in second place with scores of 68.

The biggest disappointment on day one was the effort of Scotland’s Paul Lawrie, who made a quadruple bogey and a double bogey in a round of 6-over 78. It was Lawrie’s poorest round since an 81 on day three of last year’s British Open.