It was going to take something special to take at least part of the attention away from Tiger Woods on the opening day of The Masters Tournament - but 60 year old Tom Watson managed it.
Twelve months after missing the cut with an 83 - his worst round in a career at Augusta National that goes back 40 years - the remarkable Watson matched his best ever score with a five under par 67.
And this, of course, nine months after he was one putt away from winning The Open Championship and becoming the oldest Major champion in history by 11 years.
"It's been a wonderful week," he said. "My son proposed marriage when we played the practice round and his bride-to-be didn't know anything about it.
"Everybody was in on the scam and I think a big part of my success today was having my son on the bag.
"He said 'Dad, show me. Show me you can still play this golf course.' You know what, I wanted to show him I can still play the golf course."
The score was then matched by England's Lee Westwood thanks to four birdies in the last seven holes and the World Number Four, third both in The Open Championship and USPGA Championship last year, said: "That's my lowest ever round here, never mind the first round.
"But that's the level my game is at now. I don't have ins and outs. I hit every green in regulation basically and you can be relaxed if you are confident."
He was most pleased with his bunker shot at the long 15th - which set up one of seven birdies - and added: "You probably won't see a better one all day, maybe all week."
There were others off to flying starts as well and by mid-afternoon Watson and Westwood had become part of a four-way tie.
Also in with 67s and sharing the lead were Phil Mickelson, like Watson a two-time champion, and Y E Yang, the Korean who pushed Woods into second place at golf's last Major.
As for the World Number One, he had to be thrilled first by the ovation he received and then by covering the first six holes in one under.
This is his first tournament for five months and he followed two opening pars with a pitch to five feet on the third for his first birdie since he won the JBWere Masters 144 days ago.
Two days earlier, Watson had told Jack Nicklaus at the champions' dinner that Augusta National had become too long for him.
Nicklaus, who himself joined Arnold Palmer as an honorary starter by hitting the ceremonial opening drives this morning, was having none of it.
The Golden Bear said: "It was like when (Lee) Trevino said he could never play well here and I said 'That's rubbish, you can play anywhere.'
"Just the same, you never know what Watson could do. He's still a very good player."
Sure enough Watson, who has not made the halfway cut at the course for the last eight years, did not have a bogey on his card and picked up strokes at the first, third, 15th, 16th and 18th for another day he will never forget.
At the other end of the age scale, 16 year old Italian Matteo Manassero, the youngest player in Masters Tournament history thanks to his British Amateur triumph last June, showed what a prodigious talent he is by signing for a 71.
That was a better score than any British amateur has produced in Masters Tournament history.
Manassero, playing with Westwood, kicked off with a 12 foot birdie putt, a remarkable three after his pushed drive hit a tree and left him having to go over another to reach the green, and finished a memorable debut by getting up and down from a bunker.
Woods missed an eight foot putt and had his first bogey on the seventh, but a glorious long iron approach to the 570 yard next gave him an eagle opportunity from similar range.
Despite some strong gusts of winds as he stood over the putt - a storm was known to be approaching - he made it and so leapt to two under and joint tenth place.
Manassero said: "I should have done even less than 71, but I'm really happy about my score.
"I felt I would be more nervous than I actually was, so it was perfect."
Woods followed only his second eagle ever on the eighth - the first was in the final round a year ago - with a miraculous birdie and by turning in 33 was joint seventh and on the leaderboard.
Pulling his drive on the ninth meant he had to hook his approach around 40 yards, but the ball curled onto the green and finished ten feet behind the flag.
He bogeyed the next, however, to be three behind the four leaders again.
It was truly remarkable to have a 60 year old out in front, but there was a 50 year old as well when 1992 champion Fred Couples - on fire as a Champions Tour rookie this season - birdied the 12th, 13th and 15th.
That made it a five-way tie with Watson, Westwood, Mickelson and Yang, while Woods, having missed a five foot chance at the 12th, lipped out with an eagle attempt on the next.
The birdie, though, returned him to three under and joint eighth. And there was still time for him to lead.
