The decision to bring forward tee-times by nearly three and a half hours paid off at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship in Miami, as Charl Schwartzel’s excellent form showed no sign of letting up.
There were dark clouds overhead, but the worst of the thunderstorms were further north and the players were out on the Doral course again at 8am.
American Bill Haas, son of former Ryder Cup player Jay, made the most of the early start, grabbing birdies at the first three holes to leap to four under par.
That burst put him one behind overnight leader Charl Schwartzel and also Fiji's Vijay Singh, who after finishing his first round 68 with a double bogey chipped to three feet for an opening birdie at the long tenth.
Padraig Harrington, who in contrast to Singh made a superb three on the dangerous 18th, also birdied the tenth to improve to three under, but England's Paul Casey and Luke Donald had to settle for par fives on the easy first hole and remained three under and two respectively.
Haas made it four birdies in five holes and was part of a four-way tie at the top, but Schwartzel resumed in real style when he hit his 194 yard approach to the first to ten feet and sank the eagle putt.
That put Schwartzel - winner of consecutive European Tour titles in his native country earlier this season - seven under, but Singh cut his lead to one with his second birdie of the day on the 14th.
