Adam Scott warmed up for the defence of his Masters Tournament title in stunning fashion with a course record-equalling 62 in the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational as Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño made a fine start.
Scott carded two eagles, seven birdies and one bogey at Bay Hill to claim the lead on ten under par, matching the course record shared by Andy Bean (1981) and fellow Australian Greg Norman (1984).
"Obviously I'm really thrilled with the start," said World Number Two Scott, who is closing in on Tiger Woods at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking. "It's maybe a little surprising. I don't know where it came from, but the putter certainly got hot."
Scott is making his first appearance at Bay Hill since 2009. He missed the cut in his last two starts and his only top-ten finish in six previous appearances came in 2004, when he tied for third.
"I just had a few frustrating years here and left it off the schedule," Scott told reporters after his round. "Coming back fresh was obviously a good thing. But I like the changes they've made since the time I have not been here and today was just one of those days where the hole was a bit like a bucket."
Scott revealed he had been suffering from flu-like symptoms for the past two days, but felt that might have been a positive rather than a negative.
"I went out there just trying to get the ball around," he added. "I've played a lot like this and sometimes it works in your favour because you have lower expectations."
Scott cannot overhaul the absent Woods - the defending champion pulled out on Tuesday with ongoing back problems - with a victory on Sunday, but would claim top spot before the year's first Major if both players did not compete again ahead of Augusta.
Scott started on the tenth and birdied his opening hole before picking up another shot on the par five 12th after getting up and down from a greenside bunker.
He then holed from 25 feet on the 14th and from a similar distance off the green on the next, before continuing his hot putting steak by making an eagle from 35 feet on the par five 16th.
The solitary bogey came from an errant approach to the 18th, but the 33 year old bounced back quickly with a birdie from close range on the third and another eagle from 20 feet on the fourth.
Further birdies on the sixth and seventh meant matching front and back nines of 31 and left Scott three ahead of Japan's Ryo Ishikawa and American John Merrick, with Spain's Fernandez-Castaño, who also covered the back nine in 31, on six under.
England's Paul Casey, Welshman Jamie Donaldson and Italy’s Francesco Molinari were a shot further back on five under, with Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell four under and European Number One Henrik Stenson three under.
US Open Champion Justin Rose, playing alongside Scott, shot 71.
English amateur Matthew Fitzpatrick returned a highly creditable 71, the 19 year old carding three birdies and two bogeys.
"I felt quite composed, I didn't get down or get too upbeat," said Fitzpatrick, who claimed the silver medal as leading amateur in The Open Championship at Muirfield last year and then won the US Amateur title at Brookline.
That victory means Fitzpatrick has exemptions into three of the four Majors in 2014 - the Masters, US Open and Open - as long as he remains an amateur.
