It took Graeme McDowell only three holes to join Ross Fisher out in front in The European Open at The London Golf Club in Kent.
A 25 foot putt on the short 11th was followed by another birdie at the long 12th as McDowell continued his bid for a second win of the season - one that would almost certainly lift him to sixth in The Ryder Cup race.
Not that the Ulsterman, nine under par after his flying start, is putting his Ryder Cup ambitions at the forefront of his mind, high priority though it is.
McDowell sees the last two months of the Points race in very simple terms - "I know I've got to perform," he said.
It is probably a good thing that he is not looking at the table at the moment because on Sunday he fell out of a top-ten place.
He said: "I'm trying to take the emphasis off The Ryder Cup. I'm just focussing day-by-day and not looking beyond Sunday of The European Open right now.
"All I can do is stay in the present and try to play my own game.
"I'm still having a great year and going in the right direction. The race is really only just beginning now we're in the meat and bones of the season.
"Scheduling is tough for every player, but I feel mentally and physically fresh and I'm probably not spending too much time on the range.
"I'm trying to get as much rest and relaxation as possible - and stay off the Guinness on weeks off."
McDowell and Fisher led by two from 48 year old South African David Frost, while as 19 year old Rory McIlroy prepared to tee off again in fourth place on five under he was joined by Stuart Manley, the Welshman having three birdies in the first five holes.
Justin Rose was only one further back after he birdied the 531 yard 12th and when Sergio Garcia did the same he improved to two under.
However, Paul McGinley, six under until he dropped three strokes in the last two holes in the first round, three-putted the 11th to be two under as well.
Fisher, one of the afternoon starters, is himself 21st in The Ryder Cup race, but the €506,392 first prize this weekend could lift him above McDowell and into tenth spot.
The remarkable thing about his opening course record 63 was that he considered not playing this week after a tough run of events that included 36 holes of Open Championship qualifying on Monday - and he had not seen the lay-out until he teed off.
Fisher, who finished third at Sunningdale, stated: "I was feeling pretty tired, but how do you pull out of an event when you live only 40 minutes away?
"It's pretty difficult to sit at home and watch it on TV, knowing that you are playing well.
"So I thought 'let's see how we go'. Have a few days off and if I feel fine I'll play."
He took his wife Joanne to Wimbledon for her birthday on Tuesday, left his caddie to walk the Kent course and then attacked it "blind."
This is the first week of golf's new drug-testing era and six players were chosen at random during the first round to give a urine sample.
McDowell and Fisher led by two from 48-year-old South African David Frost, while as 19-year-old Rory McIlroy prepared to tee off again in fourth place on five under he was joined by Stuart Manley, the Welshman having three birdies in the first five holes.
McDowell became leader on his own when he had his third birdie of the morning on the 548-yard 15th.
Playing partner Garcia also made four there and with another birdie on the next he was up to joint fifth along with Rose and McGinley - and also McIlroy, who resumed in disappointing fashion with a bogey five on the 10th.
