Lee Westwood started The Barclays Scottish Open with a seven under par 65 at the new Castle Stuart Golf Links near Inverness.
Certain to go back to World Number One if he wins, Westwood had an eagle, six birdies and just one late dropped shot.
Luke Donald, currently top of the Official World Golf Ranking, was three under with two to play, but Westwood led by two from a group which included two more English players - Chris Wood and 51 year old Barry Lane - holder Edoardo Molinari and also Colin Montgomerie, who needs a top five finish for a chance of playing next week's Open Championship.
Westwood sandwiched a four foot eagle putt at the 607 yard 18th between two birdies.
He had already picked up a shot on the long 12th, his third of the day, and at five under par was alongside Irishman Peter Lawrie, who was off to a real flyer with five birdies in the first six holes.
With only a modest wind on the links bordering the Moray Firth low scoring was the order of the day, but Donald had to be content with covering his first nine holes in level par.
Westwood and Lawrie, whose wife recently gave birth to their fourth child, were a stroke ahead of English pair Chris Wood and Danny Willett.
Wood is best known for his displays on links courses. As an amateur he came a brilliant fifth in the 2008 Open Championship at Birkdale and 12 months later at Turnberry he and Westwood both bogeyed the last to miss the play-off between Tom Watson and Stewart Cink.
The 23 year old has still to record his first European Tour victory, losing a play-off in South Africa earlier this season.
Willett was a 2007 Walker Cup team-mate of Rory McIlroy - on the Northern Irish links of Royal County Down - and he too is searching for his first success as a professional.
He does, however, have an exempt place in next week's Open Championship at Sandwich, whereas Lawrie and Wood were both chasing the one spot up for grabs this week.
So is Colin Montgomerie, who has been part of every Open Championship since 1989, and his hopes were still alive after birdies at the tenth - a 20 footer there - and 423 yard 15th.
Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell were among the later starters.
Westwood needed only an iron to drive to the edge of the green on the downwind 306 yard third and two putts for another birdie took him ahead on his own at six under.
Lawrie bogeyed the 15th, but Wood, having bogeyed the short 11th, birdied the next to return to five under and was joined when Montgomerie made a 30 footer for eagle at the second.
Holder Edoardo Molinari, looking for a third victory on Scottish soil after also capturing the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles last year, was on the same mark after matching playing partner Westwood's birdie.
Donald got under par for the first time with a 20 foot putt at the second.
Westwood added a 14 foot putt on the fifth and even though he had to play the long sixth in a heavy downpour he was on in two and two-putted for a birdie that took him to eight under - three clear of Wood, Molinari and Retief Goosen.
Montgomerie, though, missed from three feet at the third for a bogey five that took him back to four under and joint fifth place.
Westwood made his first mistake on the seventh, missing a short par putt., but parred the final two for a fine seven under par 65.
He led by two from Montgomerie - who came back from his first dropped shot with a birdie at the par five sixth - Wood, Goosen, Molinari and 51 year old Lane, winner of the title in 1988.
