World number one Tiger Woods has moved into contention in the first round of the Millennium Open at St Andrews.
Woods is the clubhouse leader after a slick five-under-par 67, in which he did not drop a single shot.
The surprise name alongside him at the top of the leaderboard is journeyman American Steve Flesch.
The British charge was led by little-known qualifier Ian Garbutt, who led Woods at one stage, before slipping back to four-under.
Woods took advantage after early front-runner Notah Begay III suffered a spectacular collapse at the 17th - the infamous Road Hole - where he played a shot out of the Swilken Burn.
US Open champion Woods, who is aiming to become the youngest player to win all four Majors, started steadily with pars on the first eight holes.
But he stepped up a gear at the 9th, where he picked up a shot, and three more birdies took him to the top of the leaderboard.
Tiger Woods plays from the rough at the 17th, he made par. Allsport.
Woods is aiming to become only the fifth player - and the first since Jack Nicklaus in 1966 - to win the modern career Grand Slam.
"It's something that I would love to be able to do,"
Woods said. "But there are three more days before it happens or it doesn't."
Another of the day's succession of leaders, Ireland's Padraig Harrington, suffered a late bogey but still made a 68 - thanks to birdies at five of his first seven holes.
He produced a superb front nine of 31 to charge up the leaderboard, while Garbutt was the surprise package of the early action.
Garbutt so nearly did not make it to the Old Course - he only qualified courtesy of a birdie at the fourth extra hole at Ladybank - but he made the most of it by claiming five birdies in the first six holes on Thursday.
Former champion Tom Lehman is well placed, alongside fellow Americans Scott Dunlap and Dennis Paulson and Japan's Shigeki Maruyama, who all carded rounds of four-under-par.
Three-time winner Nick Faldo shrugged off all the off-course controversy surrounding his row with European Ryder Cup vice-captain Mark James by carding an encouraging two-under 70.
Faldo finished alongside another of the leading European lights, Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, who has been strongly tipped for the title.
The 129th Open gets underway with Desvonde Botes teeing off at 7am this morning. Allsport.
Jesper Parnevik, who has twice come close to winning the Open in the past, parred the first and looked in good form playing patiently in front of a sparse crowd.
But after that the Swede, who has been suffering from a back problem, found it hard to keep pace of the leaders and finshed on a one-over par 73.
Earlier South African Desvonde Botes had got the 129th Championship under way, when he played the first shot of the weekend at 07:00 BST.
Botes was delighted to card an impressive 71 - but he admitted afterwards that he was even more pleased with the fact that he had been granted the honour of teeing off first at the Millennium Open.
"It was an unbelievable experience. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life," he said.
