Adam Scott has upstaged the biggest names in world golf to raise hopes of a first Australian British Open triumph since his idol Greg Norman won in 1993.
Scott rattled up eight birdies, including a hat-trick on the back nine, to seize the clubhouse lead with a spectacular six-under-par 64 at Royal Lytham and St Annes on Thursday.
The 32-year-old had claimed to be in career-best form heading into the Open and lived up to his billing with the round of his life.
Scott’s breathtaking round equalled the course record set by American Tom Lehman in the third round of his 1996 Open triumph and was only one shy of the equal lowest score ever in the first round of a major.
Managing until the very last hole to avoid the dense rough and the some 206 bunkers littered around the demanding links layout, Scott’s sizzling round was laced with beautiful ball striking and a succession of clutch birdie putts.
With top-10 finishes in three of the past six majors and a tie for 15th at last month’s US Open after opening with a dreadful six-over 76 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Scott was desperate for a fast start to give himself a shot at the title.
He doggedly bounced back from his first bogey on the 478-yard par-4 third with birdies on the fourth, sixth and seventh holes to turn in at two-under 34.
The 2011 Masters runner-up continued his assault on the back nine with further birdies on 11, a tap-in on 12 and another on 13.
But he wasn’t done yet, Scott making light of the supposed toughest finishing stretch of five holes in links golf to surge clear of the field.
He drained another 10-footer for birdie on 15 before almost holing out for an eagle two on the short par-4 16th.
Scott made do with the eighth birdie of easily his finest round in 13 British Open appearances and only faltered again when he pulled his tee shot into the deep rough on 18 for his second bogey.
Scott’s last start was a third placing behind Open favourite Tiger Woods at last month’s AT & T National in Washington.
His last three rounds in Washington beat the rest of the field – including Tiger – and the world No.13 carried the momentum all the way across the Atlantic to Lancashire.
Scott’s round left three-times champion and Open favourite Tiger Woods and fellow major champions Zac Johnson, Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell and Paul Lawrie playing catch-up.
Woods, Johnson, Watson, McDowell and Lawrie were also comfortably in the red but not as deep as Australia’s great hope.
Fellow Australian Greg Chalmers was satisfied with his first-round 71, but slightly envious that Scott enjoyed the best of the conditions on day one.
“For once, I think starting as early as I did may have been a slight disadvantage,” Chalmers said after mixing three birdies with four bogeys.
“It was still slightly wet out there when I started and I reckon about 9.30 would have been the perfect time to tee off.”
The reigning Australian Open champion slipped to three-over after 12 holes but fought back with birdies on 13 and 15 to stay within touch of the leaders.