Nearly two decades after winning the European PGA’s Dutch event, Miguel Angel Jimenez has the first-round lead of the 2013 edition of the KLM Open.

The Spaniard took advantage of relatively benign conditions to shoot a 6-under-par 64 on Thursday.

The 1994 event champion had two bogeys and eight birdies, including holing a wedge from 40 metres at the 16th for birdie followed by another birdie on the 18th at the Kennemer Golf and Country Club.

Australian Robert Allenby was among a group of six players one back on five under on the North Sea coast.

Jimenez, the oldest player in the field at 49, said he would like to add another Spanish name to the trophy come Sunday.

“Seve’s first win on the European Tour was here in 1976, and Jose Maria (Olazabal) also won here in 1989, so hopefully I can win here, too. That would be fantastic,” he said.