Pepperell one shot behind leader Luiten at Dutch Open

England's Eddie Pepperell is one shot behind leader and two-time champion Joost Luiten after day one of the Dutch Open - with his decision to shun a practice round perhaps paying dividends.

The 31-year-old - winless on the DP World Tour since claiming two titles in 2018, including the British Masters at Walton Heath - carded a six-under 66 with seven birdies and a sole blemish on his final hole.

Pepperell later told Sky Sports that he heeded the advice of his girlfriend by opting against a trial run on the course ahead of the tournament.

He said: "Last year I was trying hard, I was turning up to tournaments and working a lot harder than I historically did. I was getting home knackered.

"Jen was like, 'What? What are you doing? You are used to playing majors blind when you were doing well [and] you didn't bother with practice rounds'. I think she's got a point."

Luiten heads the field in his homeland event, which he previously won in 2013 and 2016, with the 36-year-old firing eight birdies including four across his final seven holes.

Luiten picked up a shot at the 18th - it would have been two shots only for his eagle putt to lip out from 45 feet - as he shot a seven-under 65 to move clear of Pepperell and Denmark's Rasmus Højgaard.

The Dutchman said: "It could have been better, but I can't be picky. I've been struggling a bit with my game, so it's great to see this score. For some reason, I love playing in front of the home crowd."

Pepperell, who has tumbled to 555 in the world rankings having been as high as 32 four years ago, added: "I'm trying to get back what I had, that is the most frustrating part. When you are trying to get something back, it is infuriating because you know you can do it and your body is not