Paul Lawrie made his first round in The Masters Tournament since 2004 one to remember at Augusta National.
In five previous appearances at the event, the 43 year old Scot had never managed an eagle and never broken 70.
But Lawrie changed all that and set the early clubhouse target with a three under par 69, although a closing bogey left him two off the lead with Swede Henrik Stenson reaching the turn in a sparkling 31.
Scotland's 1999 Open Champion, who earned himself a return by climbing back into the Official World Golf Ranking's top 50 little more than a year after falling outside the top 270, broke his eagle duck at the 510 yard 13th - and then had to wait only two holes for his next one.
That took him to three under - he had earlier three-putted the long eighth for a bogey six - and he then added a birdie on the 440 yard 17th before slipping up at the last.
Stenson is down at 171st in the OWGR less than three years after reaching fourth, but his 2009 Players Championship victory gave him a seventh trip to the tournament and he eagled both the second and eighth in a spectacular opening.
It was an early 1-2-3 for Europe as England's Ross Fisher, another whose form has dipped lately, had a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th to reach two under and solo third spot.
Ireland's Padraig Harrington, another striving to re-ignite his career, had been at the top of the leaderboard when he sank an eight foot eagle putt on the 575 yard second, but with five to play he was back to level par.
Tiger Woods was on the same mark after a birdie at the third and bogey at the seventh.
Woods, winner of his last event two weeks ago and a four-time champion at Augusta, single-putted the first three greens, but he had the ball in the trees off the first two tees and did well to scramble pars.
Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood were among the later starters, but World Number One Luke Donald was two over after seven holes and Justin Rose, winner of the season's second World Golf Championships last month, followed nine straight pars with a bogey at the 495 yard par four tenth - the hole where McIlroy had taken seven en route to a closing 80 last year after he had taken a four-shot lead into the day.
Harrington had bad memories of the second. Three years ago, when he was Open and US PGA Champion, his hopes of a third successive Major effectively ended with a quadruple bogey nine.
The 40 year old Irishman is trying to break a hoodoo again this year after winning the curtain-raising par three competition for a record third time.
Despite a dip in form since then to 96th in the OWGR, his game is clearly heading in the right direction. He began the Transitions Championship in Florida three weeks ago with a career-low 61 and in the par three competition covered the nine holes in a five under par 22.
That was matched by American Jonathan Byrd, but they were declared joint winners when the event was cancelled because of a thunderstorm
The action began at 7.40am local time with Gary Player joining Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer as honorary starters - and showing them what he is still capable of.
The 76 year old South African followed 82 year old Palmer onto the tee for a ceremonial opening drive and found the middle of the fairway some 250 yards away.
It was around 50 yards further than Palmer and 72 year old Nicklaus then split the difference between them.
With that the trio, who used to be known as golf's "Big Three" - they have 13 Masters titles between them - retired to the clubhouse and allowed the tournament proper to begin.
Conditions were perfect for the early starters. Torrential rain on Tuesday night had softened up Augusta National and it was a bright, still morning as the 76th Masters Tournament began.
Stenson went to six under and three clear on the demanding 10th, but Lawrie was delighted with his day's work.
He was sick with bronchitis only three weeks ago and there was a danger he would not qualify.
"I'm still a little bit weak and not quite 100 per cent," he said. "I've played only nine holes every day (in practice) and worked a lot on my short game.
"I'm trying to keep it low key. I'm not thinking about winning at all - I'm three behind already!"
American Scott Verplank was alongside him in second place after three birdies in a row from the sixth and Woods was only one back after he picked up shots at the eighth and tenth.
Fisher bogeyed the last - like Lawrie - and signed for a 71, while Harrington was alongside him after two-putting the 15th for birdie and Westwood birdied the second to be one under as well.
Donald turned in a two over 38, while Rose was one over after 13.
