Justin Rose matched the lowest opening round at Pebble Beach Golf Links in U.S. Open Championship history to take a narrow lead after day one on the California coast.
There was a logjam at five under at the top of the leaderboard but Rose produced a birdie-birdie-birdie finish to edge one ahead with a 65 as he looks for a second Major Championship title.
The Englishman won this event in 2013 and after matching Tiger Woods' opening effort from 2000, he was in an excellent position to challenge again.
South African Louis Oosthuizen and American trio Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Aaron Wise were at five under, a shot clear of two more Americans in Nate Lashley and Scott Piercy.
Rose already has a CV that can stand up against the greats of the game, having won a Major, World Golf Championships, Rolex Series events, the Race to Dubai, the FedEx Cup, the Olympic Men's Golf Competition and been a member of several victorious Ryder Cup teams.
But he has often spoken of his desire to be a multiple Major champion, and he made an eagle, five birdies and a single bogey late in the day at Pebble Beach to move a step closer to that goal.
"I wouldn't say it's exhilarating because I feel like my mindset is I am in a 72 hole tournament," he said.
"This is just a very small step towards the outcome. So you don't feel that buzz that you would on a Sunday but you can't help but look around over your shoulder and, damn, this is Pebble Beach.
"You shot 65 and you're in the U.S. Open. It's a cool moment. Whatever transpires the rest of the week, it was a cool moment.
"I was trying to stay patient with myself mentally but kept up-and-downing the ball, kept the momentum up, and then got rewarded with a hot finish - birdieing the last three took a good round to a great round."
You shot 65 and you're in the U.S. Open. It's a cool moment. Whatever transpires the rest of the week, it was a cool moment - Justin Rose
Fowler was the first player to get into the clubhouse at five under as he sandwiched a single bogey on the ninth with birdies on the second, fourth, seventh, 11th, 14th and 15th.
Schauffele made a relatively quiet start as he turned in level par but he recorded four birdies in five holes from the 11th to surge up the leaderboard before bogeying the 16th.
He then got a lucky bounce off the tee at the last and after finding the green in two, rolled home an 11 footer for an eagle.
Oosthuizen spun his approach from 95 yards into the hole on the 11th for an eagle and added birdies on the 14th, fourth and fifth to a bogey on the 16th.
He looked likely to drop a shot when he found sand on the ninth but holed his bunker shot for another gain and a share of the lead.
Wise started with a bogey but made birdies on the 11th, 14th, 15th, 18th, third and fourth to make it a four way tie but Rose got past them all.
The 38-year-old holed a 14 footer on the fourth and 17 footer on the seventh to sandwich an eagle on the sixth after hitting the green in two.
He bogeyed the eighth and then made seven birdies in a row before his big finish. An approach to ten feet brought a birdie on the 16th, he holed a 26 foot putt on the next and then got up and down from the sand on the par five last.
Major champions Rory McIlroy, Francesco Molinari, and Henrik Stenson were in the group at three under, one clear of a group of 12 players including two time defending champion Brooks Koepka, Adri Arnaus, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Sergio Garcia, amateur Viktor Hovland, Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer and Jon Rahm.
