Padraig Harrington overcame a sore hip, an ankle problem and some wayward driving to lead the prestigious Players Championship - golf's unofficial fifth major - in Florida this evening.
The Dubliner, forced to play 28 holes in the day because of Thursday's rain, produced superb rounds of 67 and 68 for a nine under par halfway total of 135, two ahead of defending champion Craig Perks and former winner Davis Love.
"The scoring was good, but as the day progressed I got wilder and wilder," he said.
"I need to play better at the weekend, that's for sure. I stayed focused and got the job done.
"I think the injuries are related and they played on my mind a bit. I can't ask for more than to be leading and I should be happy, but it depends how you judge it.
"Unfortunately there's another 36 holes to go and a lot of work to be done. You can't ever feel comfortable on this course and I don't think any lead is safe."
Even though he has had a slow start to the season Harrington's position should surprise nobody who saw his three top 10 finishes in the majors last year - and, of course, his million dollar victory over Tiger Woods in December.
With Woods among the later starters down on level par Harrington, now chasing an even bigger first prize of 1.17million dollars (#780,000), resumed with a six-foot birdie putt on the long 11th and after making that added further birdies at the 13th, 14th and 15th.
Pars at the last three holes followed to make him the joint first round leader with Couples, but there was a lucky escape at the 447-yard last when the Irishman's approach curled on the wind and finished in the rough just a foot from the lake.
A chip to two feet kept the smile on his face, and he said: "I'm very happy with that.
"I had a nice run when I came back and I was very surprised at the last because it was probably the best shot I hit on the back nine. The wind moved it quite a bit."
Teeing off again 40 minutes later he bogeyed the 10th, but then repeated his birdies at the 11th, 13th and 15th. The last of those came when he sank a bunker shot and he very nearly pitched in for eagle on the next.
It spun back over the hole to five feet and in that went to take him into the outright lead.
With no cause to rest on his laurels at that point, he got down in two from just off the green at the long second for yet another birdie and then birdied the 466-yard fifth as well from the fairway bunker.
Equally as important as his 10-foot putt there was a save from the same range on the seventh after he had missed the fairway again.
Colin Montgomerie, fuming that he had not finished his first round last night, faced a long wait to see if he had survived the halfway cut after coming in with rounds of 73 and 72 for a one over aggregate.
Montgomerie had returned to the ninth green at 7.30am for a 22-foot birdie putt that he missed. The tap-in par meant a one over 73 and the fact that 33 of those were putts gave him cause for concern.
All seemed well when he then set off again with birdies at the second, fourth and sixth, but he double-bogeyed the next after he could move the ball only a few yards from the rough just off the fairway.
Then, after a birdie at the long ninth, he bogeyed the 10th and went in the water for a six at the 535-yard 11th.
Seven pars to finish were not what he was looking for and, aware that the second round would not be completed until late tomorrow morning, he said afterwards: "I've got a day and a half to wait.
"I hope to make the cut, but if I don't I don't."
It would be his fifth weekend off in six starts this year, but at least this time he has his wife and three children with him.
Darren Clarke and Paul Lawrie, both of whom opened with 71s, were among the later starters and Clarke made a flying start, picking up three strokes in four holes to be joint 12th at four under.
Woods, however, was still level par after six holes - and therefore, of course, not safe from the cut mark.