Rory McIlroy bounced straight back from his disappointing Open Championship by taking the early lead at the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland in Killarney.
The 22 year old, playing his first tournament on home soil since his incredible eight shot US Open Championship victory in June, birdied the fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth holes to be two clear of the field at four under par.
McIlroy was the talk of golf after what he did in Washington, but managed only 25th place at Sandwich, leaving him clearly frustrated.
McIlroy was playing with defending champion Ross Fisher, who, after scrambling a par on the first from the hazard by Lough Leane, birdied the second and eighth.
That put him into a tie for second with fellow Englishmen Graeme Storm, 51 year old Barry Lane and also Australian left-hander Richard Green and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.
Last year's US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, however, followed eight opening pars with a bogey on the ninth - and this after missing the cut at The Open.
Northern Ireland's amazing success story of late continued there, of course, with Darren Clarke's victory at the 20th attempt.
He and three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington were among the afternoon starters.
McIlroy's first bogey came on the 486 yard 11th after a drive into the left rough and he was caught at the top when Storm, in the first group of the day at 7am, two-putted the long 16th.
McDowell had yet to find a birdie and matching McIlroy's bogey on the 11th left him two over and down near the rear of the field.
