Colin Montgomerie made a welcome return to form as the Scot took control of the opening round of the Portugal Masters.
The Ryder Cup Captain, without a top ten finish so far this year, birdied four of his first six holes at Oceânico Victoria Golf Course.
At four under he was one ahead of a group of five players, which included compatriot Marc Warren, World Number 11 Lee Westwood, Dane Mads Vibe-Hastrup, Swede Niclas Fasth and Robert-Jan Derksen of The Netherlands.
Montgomerie, starting on the tenth, began with a birdie and soon registered another at the par five 12th.
That was followed by consecutive gained shots at the 14th and 15th as the eight time European Number One got off to a blistering start.
Defending champion Alvaro Quiros and Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy were among the day’s late starters.
