Adam Scott and Jason Dufner set the pace on the opening day of the WGC-Cadillac Championship, where Luke Donald stole a march on Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood in the battle of the big three.
After a day when the ‘Blue Monster’ bared its teeth, Australian Scott, already with a WGC title to his name, and American Dufner, runner-up at the US PGA Championship last August, led by two strokes from Dane Thomas Björn and Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel.
Justin Rose is a shot further back on three under par alongside the Spanish duo of Alvaro Quiros and Miguel Angel Jiménez.
Donald’s round of 70, which left him four shots off the lead, was the best of the Official World Golf Ranking’s top three.
McIlroy admitted to feeling “mentally flat” as he began his reign as World Number One, the 22 year old from Northern Ireland signing for a one over par 73 in the first round of the season’s second WGC event in windy Miami.
But he remained confident of staging a rally on the second day, saying: “I just need to go out and set myself a target tomorrow.
“There’s going to be times where you’re going to feel a little bit off, and it’s just trying to handle those the best you can.
“I was mentally flat today, and it was a bit of a struggle. It was a pretty tricky day, but obviously there were good scores out there. I just didn’t really get anything going.”
Lee Westwood, the third member of the group who, like Donald, could take the World Number One spot back with victory, carded a round of 76.
Donald, paired with McIlroy and Westwood, said: “I played pretty solid. I was pleased with my putting – that’s always the key for me. If I roll it well, the rest of the game becomes a bit easier.”
Scott made life look very easy indeed with an eagle and five birdies in a dazzling display at the Donald Trump-owned Doral Golf Resort & Spa, in Florida.
He said: “It’s only a month until the Masters, and this is the time you want to knuckle down and get involved.
“Obviously I’m very satisfied with the round today, especially in these blustery conditions. I took advantage of my good play over the first 11 or 12 holes, and then managed to get up and down here and there coming in. So I’m very pleased to put myself in the tournament so far. It’s a good way to start.”
Likewise, Björn was delighted with a blemish-free round which, in the conditions, was nothing short of remarkable.
He said: “When it’s this windy, you know you need to play solid golf and keep the big numbers off your card. That’s exactly what I did. I played pretty solid and holed my putts, and a few things went my way. Despite the wind today actually felt quite easy, but tomorrow could be a different story.”
Schwartzel, who finished runner-up behind Ernie Els in the event two years ago, dropped just one shot in a round of 68 which culminated with a par that “felt like an eagle” on Doral’s fearsome closing hole.
He said: “I’m very satisfied. It was difficult out there at times today. When the wind’s up like this, it’s gusting, so it’s very difficult to make putts. But I stuck at it and played some very solid golf. Only one bogey in these conditions, I’ll take that any day.”
Tiger Woods, who finished second behind McIlroy at last week’s Honda Classic on the US PGA Tour following a career-low finishing round of 62, shot a level par 72, as did Phil Mickelson.
England’s Paul Casey, playing for the first time since dislocating his shoulder snowboarding on Christmas Eve, returned a round of 76 – and so did his compatriot Ian Poulter, a week after being diagnosed with pneumonia.
