Colin Montgomerie was just where he wanted to be on his 500th European Tour appearance as a professional - right at the top of the leaderboard.
Europe's new The Ryder Cup Captain, with only three top ten finishes to his name since the start of last season, returned a five under par 67 to lead the Andalucian Open with fellow Scot Steven O'Hara and France's Jean-François Lucquin in sunny Seville.
Montgomerie, now a lowly 137th in the world and with no hope of qualifying for the Masters Tournament in two weeks, was presented with a cake and an ice bucket to mark his achievement.
For a while the holes at Real Club de Golf de Sevilla must have looked as big as the bucket. After four birdies in his first six holes he ran up a six on the long 16th after going in the water, but then converted chances of 15 and 30 feet at the 18th and first.
An 18 footer also went in for par at the 451 yard second and after a second bogey two holes later he holed from the same distance at the fifth and parred in.
"The best gift was that 67," he said. "That's three tournaments in a row with a 67. Things are looking up.
"People say that being The Ryder Cup Captain will hurt my game, but I think exactly the opposite. I've been looking for ways to relax on the course and I thing I've found it.
"It was a very nostalgic round. I was thinking about all sorts of things - my three PGA wins, eight Order of Merits, how far I've walked (all the way to Hong Kong) and being The Ryder Cup captain.
"I've thought about that every minute of every day since I was appointed.
"Montgomerie is the 18th player to reach 500 tournaments on the circuit and of special pride to him is that in 182 of them he had notched top ten finishes.
The last was his second place to Pablo Larrazabal at last June's French Open, but he said: "I'd like to get to 200.
"I'm busier than ever, but I'm still competitive enough to be able to contend."
Former Walker Cup player O'Hara came storming through at the end his round, making birdie at 15th, eagle at the 16th and then a closing birdie. The last two were from only two feet.
Lucquin is the player who beat Rory McIlroy in a play-off for the Omega European Masters last September and it looks an even better win now considering what progress the Northern Ireland teenager has made.
A stroke behind was Dane Søren Kjeldsen and on three under was Spaniard José Manuel Lara and Paraguay's Marco Ruiz.
