Simon Dyson celebrated his call-up to The Open Championship by moving onto the leaderboard in the Barclays Scottish Open at Castle Stuart Golf Links near Inverness.
The 33 year old received the news after completing an opening 68 and on resuming in perfect conditions this morning he added further birdies at two of his first three holes.
Dyson was six under par, but playing partner Scott Jamieson was going even better.
When The European Tour rookie hit back from a bogey at the tenth - their first of the day - with a hat-trick of birdies he was seven under and shared the lead with Lee Westwood and Mark Tullo.
Justin Rose set off with two birdies to be five under, Irish pair Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington stood four under and Phil Mickelson improved his hopes of surviving the cut - he possibly needed a 67 - when a birdie at the short 11th took him to level par.
England’s Dyson, due to have a cortisone injection on his troublesome back next Wednesday, was only the fifth reserve for Sandwich on Tuesday.
But he comes in following the injury withdrawals of Tiger Woods, Thomas Levet, Tim Clark and David Toms and the decision by Australian Brendan Jones not to play because his wife is expecting a child.
Dyson remained six under after six holes, but 27 year old Jamieson - with four top-six finishes already this season - was on a superb burst of five successive birdies and at nine under led by two.
McDowell, though, was hot on the heels. He eagled the 530 yard 12th and birdied the next, making it four threes in a row to start his round.
The 2008 winner was alongside Westwood and Tullo - both late starters - while twice champion Ernie Els was only one further back after birdies on his opening two holes, like Rose.
