Australians Jason Day and Adam Scott have enjoyed their best opening rounds at the Masters to sit close to the leaders after day one at Augusta.
Day — with birdies on four, nine, 13, 16 and 17 — equalled his 5-under-par 67 from 2015, while Scott was one stroke behind after his first sub-70 round at Augusta since 2019.
Day is tied for fourth with American Cameron Young, while Scott is in a tie for sixth.
A decade after winning the green jacket, Scott carded an eagle, three birdies and a bogey on the last that would have left him with a sour taste in his mouth, despite finishing with a 4-under-par 68.
That was good enough for his best round at the Masters since the second round four years ago, when he also carded a 68 before finishing with 72 and 73 to end up 18th overall.
It also eclipsed Scott's best opening round at the major, bettering 69s in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2019.
Day, meanwhile, was the last of the Australians on the course, returning to the tournament where he missed the cut in his past two outings — in 2020 and 2021.
He went 3-under through the final six holes to end the first round two shots off the leading pack of Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland.
Norway's Hovland eagled the second to kick off a sensational round of 7-under 65, while Rahm recovered from a first-hole double bogey with seven birdies and an eagle, and LIV Golf's Koepka also joined them on 7-under with an eight-birdie, one-bogey round.
Of the other Australians, LIV Golf's Cameron Smith went out with two birdies but battled on his way back in, forced to recover from bogies on 10 and 12, to finish at 2-under.
Min Woo Lee and Harrison Crowe were paired together and both finished 3-over.
