Rory McIlroy charged into a commanding first-round clubhouse lead in the 75th Masters on Thursday, sinking seven birdies for a stunning round of 65.
At 21, he was the youngest first-round leader in the tournament's history, bettering the 23-year-old Severiano Ballesteros, who went on to win his first green jacket in 1980.
The Ulsterman had purposely favoured a low-key approach to his third campaign at Augusta National after missing the cut last year and it paid immediate dividends as he bagged three birdies in a row from the second.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
He went out in 32 and picked up more shots at 11, 14 and 15, where his eagle putt came agonizingly close to dropping in, before signing for a pace-setting 65, his best round to date at Augusta by five shots.
"I would take 65 all day long, but it could have been lower," he said, citing a missed birdie chance at the last.
"It's a great start to the tournament. I felt that my game has been good all season. I feel very comfortable with with my game and it was nice to see a few putts drop in and hopefully I can build on it."
McIlroy was three strokes clear of Matt Kuchar of the United States, with England's Ross Fisher, Brandt Snedeker of the United States, Spain's Sergio Garcia and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa next best a further stroke back.
"Really pleased with where I finished. It's a great spot. Played solid golf," said Kuchar.
"Rory is seven-under; that's fantastic. The conditions were there. It was just still. If ever you could shoot a good score, it would be today. But seven under is pretty amazing. He's a great player."
Tied on 70 were South African veteran Retief Goosen, Sean O'Hair of the United States, Camilo Villegas of Colombia, Gregory Havret of France, Rickie Fowler of the United States and Hiroyuki Fujita of Japan.
Playing conditions at Augusta National were set to be perfect for low scoring with warm and sunny weather forecast throughout the day for the 99-strong field, the largest in 45 years.
But among those who failed to find their touch were world No. 1 Martin Kaymer, who struggled to a 78, and Ireland's Padraig Harrington, who had a disappointing 77.
Tiger Woods opened with a 71 and world No. 2 Lee Westwood had a level par 72.
The tournament looked as open as it has been for years with defending champion Phil Mickelson the favorite and with four-time champion Woods looking to record his first tournament win in almost 18 months.
They were facing a daunting challenge from a bursting-with-confidence European contingent that now dominates the world top 10.
Woods, tied for fourth here last year, set out in the company of US Open champion Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland and Robert Allenby of Australia.
The 14-time major winner, whose ultimate goal remains Jack Nicklaus' benchmark of 18 majors, made a quiet start with five straight pars before he got into red figures with a birdie at the par-three sixth.
Bogeys at 10 and 11, however, pinned him back at one over before back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 improved his position.
"I hit beautiful putts all day - couple of bad ones, but the round should have been 68 or 69," he said.
Woods has not won at Augusta National since 2005 and his last major win came at the 2008 US Open, after which he took time off to have knee surgery and then saw his marriage dissolve due to his infidelity.
Kaymer was left shaking his head after once again failing to come to grips with Augusta National where he has missed the cut on his two previous appearances.
"I think that I don't really know how to play the golf course," was the German's blunt assessment of his round, adding that he would turn to compatriot and two-time former Masters champion Bernhard Langer for help.
Mickelson was in penultimate grouping of the day and he opened with seven straight pars before snatching his first birdie at the par-four eighth.
The popular left-hander from California is seeking to close in on another Nicklaus standard - his record six wins in the Masters - while knowing that a win would give him the world number one spot for the first time.
Five other players could finish up the week as the world's top player in a further demonstration of how congested it has become at the top of the golfing tree.
Woods is one of those, but the four others all come from Europe -- Kaymer, Westwood, Luke Donald and McDowell.
