Alex Noren will take a narrow one-shot lead into day two of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship after he equalled the course record at Carnoustie yesterday.
The Swede fired eight birdies in a flawless 64 at the course widely regarded as the toughest of the three host venues to sit one stroke clear of Englishman Ross Fisher after his first round.
Matt Ford and Joakim Lagergren are in a tie for third on six under after producing opening rounds of 66.
Beginning his first round at the tenth tee, Noren carded birdies at three of his first five holes to reach the turn in 33.
After starting his back nine with another gain at the first, he holed a tricky birdie putt at the fifth to take a share of the lead on five under.
The 34-year-old picked up another shot at the long sixth before saving par at the next.
And Noren finished with a flourish, rolling in from 15 feet for a birdie at the eighth before repeating the trick from 12 feet at the ninth to move to eight under.
Noren was delighted with his first-round display. He said: “I putted great and then yeah, got it going. It was tough conditions but probably one of the best rounds I’ve played, so I’m very happy right now.
“The course, all three courses, are in probably the best shape I’ve ever seen them. The greens are running great. It’s in great shape.”
Speaking about Carnoustie, Noren added: “I like it but I’ve never shot lower than maybe 71 here. I didn’t expect much but it went better than I expected.”
Fisher, starting from the tenth tee at Kingsbarns, reached the turn in 35 after making just one birdie on his front nine.
But the 35-year-old caught fire on the back nine, following up an eagle at the third with a birdie at the next before making back-to-back gains at the sixth and seventh to move to six under.
And Fisher reduced Noren’s lead to one when he rolled in his birdie putt at the ninth - his last.
Noren’s countryman Lagergren notched six birdies and no bogeys in his first round at Carnoustie.
He was pleased with his putting yesterday. He said: “I played very well and was solid all day, I would say. I putted really well and made some great saves coming in on the last five or six holes.”
Ford got to the turn in 31 after firing five birdies on his front nine at Kingsbarns, before mixing two further birdies with a bogey on the back nine to finish the day on six under.
Fisher was happy with his performance as he posted a bogey-free 65 to sit second after the opening round.
Fisher, who lost out to Alexander Levy in a play-off at the Porsche European Open in his last outing, was thrilled to finish the first day on seven under.
He said: “I’m obviously very pleased with the round, and it’s a good continuation of the form I showed in Germany a couple of weeks back.
“Kingsbarns is normally the easier of the three courses so you know you have to make a decent score here, but when the wind blows here it’s anything but easy, because some holes are very exposed to the elements.
“So I’m delighted with seven under to start.
“It’s a different wind to the one we experienced in practice, it completely flipped around so it was almost like playing a different course.
“So it took a few holes to get into the round and get used to the conditions, but the birdie on 16 got me off and running and I didn’t look back after that.”
Starting at the tenth tee, Fisher reached the turn in 35 after making one birdie on his front nine.
But his round came to life on the back nine, with an eagle at the third and birdies at the fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth propelling him up the leaderboard. Fisher added: “The eagle on three was obviously the highlight, and to finish with another birdie on the ninth was the icing on the cake.
“But I’m almost more pleased to have kept the bogeys off my card, because it’s not an easy course in those conditions.”