Blistering start sees Adam Scott lead by four at Bay Hill

Adam Scott made a brilliant start to the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Thursday as he continued his bid to overtake Tiger Woods as world number one.

Scott carded seven birdies, two eagles and one bogey in his first round at Bay Hill to charge to the top of the leaderboard on 10 under par.

The reigning Masters champion started on the 10th and birdied his opening hole before picking up another shot on the par-five 12th after getting up and down from a greenside bunker. Scott then holed from 25ft on the 14th and from a similar distance off the green on the next, before continuing his hot putting steak by making an eagle from 35ft on the par-five 16th.

His solitary bogey came from an errant approach to the 18th, but the Australian bounced back quickly with a birdie from close range on the third and another eagle from 20 feet on the fourth. Birdies at six and seven followed as the Australian carded a 62.

Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Englishman Paul Casey were Scott's nearest challengers on six under after 66s, with Americans Morgan Hoffman and Brandt Snedeker a shot further back.

Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke shot a 75, while Pádraig Harrington was one under through three and Graeme McDowell was level par through three.

Scott cannot overtake the absent Woods — the defending champion pulled out on Tuesday with on-going back problems — with a victory at Bay Hill, but would overhaul the 14-time major winner before his Masters defence if both players did not play again before the year’s first major at Augusta.

The 33-year-old had the chance to get to the summit in his last start at Doral but was not able to muster the necessary victory, instead finishing tied 25th.

“There was some fun in going to Doral and having a chance to win and maybe go to number one and that’s a huge motivator. It didn’t really work out and I don’t know how many of those chances I’ll get,” Scott said on Wednesday. “So if I get another chance I’m going to be doing my best to take it because the well might dry up, and I might never have this opportunity again.”