UPDATE 1-Golf-Struver turns back clock to race clear in Madeira

By Norman Dabell

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira, March 20 (Reuters) - Germany's Sven Struver found the form that earned him three European Tour wins in the 1990s to take a one-stroke lead in the Madeira Islands Open first round on Thursday.

The 40-year-old from Hamburg set the pace with a morning six-under 66 in difficult conditions of wind and rain which only got worse as the day wore on.

South African Hennie Otto had to defy heavy downpours and produce one of his career-best putting rounds with five birdies in six holes to edge within a stroke of Struver.

After wins in the 1996 South African PGA Championship, 1997 Dutch Open and 1998 European Masters, Struver has been in decline since the turn of the century but began 2008 with hope of getting back to winning ways.

A tied ninth finish in the Joburg Open gave the son of Hamburg golf professional Jochen a hint of his past form and his weather-hit round in Madeira gave him a further lift.

"Playing in the last group out in the final round in South Africa this year showed me I can still compete," Struver told Reuters.

"I had a little sniff then and I want more. I'm not happy finishing down at the end of the field."

Otto, who led the 2003 British Open after the first round, has often suffered from temperament and was fined 5,000 pounds for throwing his bag of clubs in a river after a 2001 South African Masters round.