Matthew Fitzpatrick's love affair with Augusta National continued as he got his nose in front during the opening round of the Masters Tournament.
The Englishman has often spoken of his affinity for the season's first Major Championship and finished in a tie for seventh in his professional debut last season.
In gusty and difficult conditions on day one in Georgia, Fitzpatrick got to three under with three to play to hold a one-shot lead over fellow Englishman Justin Rose and American William McGirt.
A third Englishman, Andy Sullivan, then held a share of the clubhouse lead at one under with just 11 players under par.
World Number One Dustin Johnson was forced to withdraw after sustaining a back injury in a fall on Wednesday.
Fitzpatrick bogeyed the third but then rattled off a hat-trick of birdies from the eighth with approaches to 11, five and five feet. A bogey on the 11th stalled his momentum but he made a brilliant chip-in on the 14th and took advantage of the par five next to hit the front.
Rose also made hay on the par fives, with birdies on the second and eighth sandwiching a bogey on the third. A 20-foot putt then brought a birdie on the ninth and while he three-putted the 12th, he bounced back with a birdie on the 13th to sit at two under.
McGirt had birdies on the second, fifth and 13th with a single bogey on the third in his first 14 holes.
An excellent chip to the second and approach to the seventh brought birdies as Sullivan turned in 35 and he put his tee-shot to tap-in range on the 12th. Back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th threatened to derail his progress but a lengthy putt on the last brought a closing birdie.
Americans Kevin Chappell and Russell Henley were also in the clubhouse at one under, with countrymen Jason Dufner, Bill Haas and Rickie Fowler still on the course.
Australia's Marc Leishman was also two off the lead having played four holes.
Thomas Pieters had threatened to blow the field away when he reached five under after ten holes but he slipped back to level par.
The Belgian put his bunker shot on the second to three feet to get up and down for birdie and his tee-shot on the par-three fourth to 13 feet to go two under.
He had 184 yards to the pin on the next but put his approach to five feet to take the lead and pitches to even closer range on the eighth and tenth gave him a three-shot lead.
His first trip to Amen Corner saw him get burned, however, as he found the trees off the tee to drop a shot on the 11th and found the water off the 12th tee to surrender a double-bogey and the lead.
Another bogey followed on the 15th but he bounced back on the next to reclaim top spot before a closing three-putt double-bogey resulted in a 72.
Dane Søren Kjeldsen was also in the clubhouse at level par after registering two birdies and two bogeys.
