And, although he had to contend with some rain, the 40-year-old from Paris picked up shots at the third and fifth to reach 10 under.

Levet, a member of Europe’s winning Ryder Cup side in Detroit in 2004 and runner-up to Ernie Els in the 2002 Open, has got his career back on track after being badly affected by vertigo three years ago.

He won the Andalucian Open last year and took his European Tour earnings through the £4million mark.

When his illness was at its worst, he admitted: “I was thinking about retiring - I couldn’t even stand up. It was like living in a washing machine.

“It feels like you are walking in a moving world. You are completely disabled.

“A door is right in front of you, but you hit the wall, not just once in a while, but every time. Sometimes you miss it by six feet.

“You can’t drive a car, you can’t play with your kids, you can’t swim, nothing. You can’t even read a book. Just moving your eyes can trigger it.

“So you don’t work, you don’t watch TV. You just wait for the day to arrive when you will be cured.”

For him, it came seven months after the first attack and, to his great relief, there has been no relapse.

Hansen was also among today’s early starters and two opening pars kept him at nine under, two in front of Scottish rookie Callum Macaulay and Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara.

One further back was Swede Jarmo Sandelin, who had his own drama just a few days ago.

The 41-year-old Swede smelt burning in a flat in the centre of Stockholm, burst in and was able to help an elderly lady out, but her husband died in the fire.

Sandelin’s first-day 66 was his lowest round of the year but, clearly emotional, he asked reporters if he could wait another 24 hours before discussing his own narrow escape.