Graeme McDowell has a share of the lead with defending champion Lee Westwood after he made a strong start in the opening round of Maybank Malaysian Open.

McDowell opened with back-to-back birdies before going on to card a six under par round of 66, with a bogey on six being the only blemish in an otherwise impressive round.

Current Malaysian Open holder Westwood also dropped a shot on the sixth, but four birdies in his final seven holes propelled the world number 30 to the top of the leaderboard.

Elsewhere, three birdies in his opening three holes helped winning Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley to a three under par 69 and a share of seventh place, while Peter Lawrie is currently one under par through 12.

Former U.S. Open champion McDowell matched Westwood’s seven- birdie haul after also starting on the back nine.

“I’m pretty happy,” said the Northern Irishman who finished tied for ninth with Westwood in Dubai.

“I hit the ball great today, drove it well and gave myself a lot of looks for birdie.

“I’ve liked the way this golf course looks from the start and I enjoyed playing it this morning with good company from the boys.”