It was a day to remember for Rory McIlroy in The Masters Tournament as the Northern Irishman charged into a two stroke lead over Korean Y E Yang and big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros with a dazzling seven under par 65.
Although Quiros still had five holes to play and the opportunity to take over at the top, the 21 year old's round brought back memories of his Major record-equalling first round 63 in The Open Championship at St Andrews last July.
But that is where he hopes the comparisons end - as McIlroy followed that round with an 80.
Tiger Woods, meanwhile, started with a 71, while defending champion and favourite Phil Mickelson, in the second last group of the day, was two under after escaping from the bushes with a par at the long 13th and from the trees with a birdie at the next.
McIlroy said: "It was not as explosive or as spectacular as St Andrews, but it was very solid and it's a great start."
The best at The Masters Tournament, in fact, since Greg Norman's 63 in 1996.
"I felt as if my game's been really good all season and after working on my game in Florida for ten days with my coach Michael Bannon I feel very comfortable.
"I'm still relatively inexperienced, but I feel I am pretty quick learner. There's no substitute for experience and I've still got a lot of learning to do, but I am getting there.
"It was nice to see a few putts drop in as well and hopefully I can build on it.
"I think what happened at St Andrews will be a massive help. It was a very valuable lesson in my development as a golfer."
After saving par from the fairway bunker at the first he birdied the next three from two, five and 20 feet, making a ten footer on the ninth to turn in 32.
The 505 yard 11th is probably Augusta National's toughest hole, but he struck a five iron to eight feet for his fifth birdie and, after three-putting the long 13th for par, picked up further shots at the next two.
First he holed from ten feet again and then he was on in two at the par five and two-putted.
Yang, who became Asia's first Major Champion by beating Woods head-to-head at the 2009 US PGA Championship, moved alongside McIlroy with a two at the short 16th, but bogeyed the last two.
Woods has not won for nearly 17 months and has been working on swing changes since August.
"You have trust it now - we're in a Major Championship and it's full systems go," he said before adding that he felt he was still right in the hunt "only six back".
Lee Westwood, who had the big setback of a six on the long eighth after "over-hooking" his second, had to settle for a 72 and again was not happy with his putting.
"It's how my game is at the moment," said the World Number Two. "If you can't hole it out from four feet you're going to struggle, aren't you?"
England's Ross Fisher shared sixth spot after a 69, along with Spaniard Sergio Garcia, South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Trevor Immelman, Korean K J Choi and American Brandt Snedeker.
As for Luke Donald, who carried the curse of winning the eve-of-tournament par three competition into the main event, he was three over after 13, but then went birdie-eagle-birdie to race to one under.
