Alejandro Cañizares credited his form to the work of being a father as he fired an opening 67 on day one of the Trophée Hassan II.
The Spaniard is no stranger to success in Morocco, having claimed this title at Golf du Palais Royal five years ago, and his six under par effort at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam handed him a strong start as he bids to win European Tour title number three.
A lot has happened in the intervening years, with Cañizares losing his playing privileges in 2017 after 11 consecutive seasons on Tour - including a trip to the Qualifying School in 2009.
He was back at Q School in the autumn and finished first to regain his card, with his opening round in Rabat his second lowest and first bogey free effort of the campaign.
The 36-year-old welcomed a baby into the family recently and believes that - plus some hard work with his coaches - has been key to his resurgence.
"The last two months I had a baby, so I haven't been able to practise much," he said. "Which sometimes helps because there's no expectations.
"I've been working with Robert Rock and his partner Liam (James) and I've been working on my swing quite well. I like the way we are working on it and it feels easier, the things I'm doing.
"I started working on my short game back with my old coach, Mike Walker, and he's helped me. My short game is getting there.
"It was a great round and I'm happy the way it went and excited for the week."
