Ireland's Peter Lawrie was off to a spectacular start in the Barclays Scottish Open at its new venue Castle Stuart Golf Links near Inverness.
Lawrie, in the first group off at 7.30am, birdied five of the first six holes - yet his lead was only one.
Northern Irishman Michael Hoey, winner of the British Amateur title at Prestwick a decade ago, also lapped up a return to links golf by following birdies on the tenth and 11th with an eagle at the 530 yard 12th.
And just one behind him after setting off on the front nine with a hat-trick of birdies like Lawrie was England's Danny Willett, a member of the same Walker Cup side as Rory McIlroy four years ago.
It all showed that with only a moderate wind low scoring was the order of the day.
The world's top two Luke Donald and Lee Westwood both began with par figures at the tenth and 11th, but Donald's playing partner Colin Montgomerie, needing a top-five finish if he is to play in next week's Open Championship, made a 20 foot birdie putt on the 363 yard tenth along the banks of the Moray Firth.
Fellow Scot Martin Laird, over from the States for these two weeks, strayed much closer to the water than he intended on the short 11th.
He was forced to take a penalty drop and did well to drop just one shot, but it had come after an opening birdie and so he was level par.
Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell were amongst the later starters.
Lawrie, whose wife recently gave birth to their fourth child, remained five under to the turn, but his 31 could have been even better - he missed an eight foot eagle chance on the sixth.
By then Hoey had been joined by Willett, whose fourth birdie came at the sixth, while Shane Lowry, another of the Irish contingent, was three under after just two holes. He birdied the first and eagled the 554 yard second.
Westwood's first birdie came at the long 12th, but Donald had to settle for par there.
The two of them could change places at the top of the Official Golf World Ranking again this weekend, but for that to happen Westwood cannot afford to finish lower than fifth and, unless he wins, it all depends where Donald comes.
Paul McGinley marked his 500th European Tour appearance - he is only the 20th player to reach the figure - with two opening birdies, but then came a double bogey seven at the sixth.
The fact that it was the first double bogey of the championship after more than two hours' play was further evidence of conditions being easy for the early starters.
The 23 year old is best known for his performances on links - fifth in the 2008 Open Championship as an amateur and then only a stroke away from the play-off between Tom Watson and Stewart Cink at Turnberry a year later.
Willett is already exempt for Sandwich next week, but Lawrie and Wood are both trying to earn the one spot on offer.
Montgomerie went to two under at the 423 yard 15th, but while Westwood joined him with a two on the short 17th Donald bogeyed the 13th and needed a birdie three holes later to return to level par.
