Lee Westwood, who beat Ian Poulter 4 and 2 over nine holes in practice on Tuesday, was even more dominant over his fellow Englishman when they played for real in The Masters Tournament at Augusta National.
And with Tiger Woods having three bogeys in four holes from the fourth, Westwood, chasing his first Major after a string of near misses, moved into a two stroke lead over Phil Mickelson after six holes.
The European Ryder Cup team-mates were tied for the lead on eight under par at halfway in the opening Major of the season, but as they walked towards the opening green two-time champion Mickelson had already joined them with birdies at the second and third.
However, Westwood responded with a 22 foot putt there and made a ten footer for another birdie on the fourth.
The gap became three when Poulter had the first of two successive bogeys, three-putting the fifth, and Mickelson dropped a shot at the short sixth.
But Mickelson came back by finding the green in two at the long eighth and almost making his 20 foot eagle attempt.
Woods was joint third overnight and brought a huge roar from the crowd on the first green when his 18 foot putt hovered on the edge - not quite as long as his famous chip at the 16th en route to victory five years ago - before dropping in.
Out for nearly five months since winning the JBWere Masters, he made a curling 25 footer at the third.
But finding a bunker on the next cost him a bogey and could not hide his annoyance at the tee shot on the sixth.
After giving vent to his feelings there he sent his 60 foot first putt up the slope and almost 20 feet past the cup.
Three putts there was repeated on the seventh and it left him with five strokes to make up.
Woods dropped into a tie for fifth with 50 year old Fred Couples, their fellow American Anthony Kim and Korean K J Choi.
Poulter was tied for third with another of the home players, Ricky Barnes, but re-ignited his challenge with a birdie on the seventh.
Westwood hooked into the trees there, but found a gap and the green and two-putted from long range for a par that kept him at ten under.
Westwood was on in two like Mickelson at the eighth and when he birdied - with a seven foot second putt after charging the first - he was four clear.
Poulter did a poor drive, but a superb pitch enabled him to birdie as well and get back into second place on his own, three behind with Mickelson hitting an awful approach to the tenth and bogeying.
Westwood missed a chance for yet another birdie on the ninth, but after turning in 33 he stretched his advantage to four with a curling 18 footer at the next.
But the drama was building as Mickelson holed from seven feet for eagle at the 13th and burst to nine under, three behind and second on his own. It was his second eagle there this week.
The noise that greeted Mickelson's putt was nothing compared to the reaction on the next when his 139 yard second spun into the hole for a second successive eagle.
Now he was only one back - and to stay in the outright lead Westwood had had to get down in two from off the green at the 11th.
They stood 12 under and 11 under, while Poulter had his third bogey of the day and was four strokes further behind in third.
