COLIN MONTGOMERIE fired an opening round a Classic at Coral Springs in Florid on Thursday and then praised the blustery conditions which kept the scoring low.

The Scot lay one shot behind joint leaders, former US Open champion Lee Janzen and fellow American Paul Stankowski, who each fired five under par 67s on the Heron Bay course, playing host to its first PGA event.

It was the stiff, spring winds of south Florida, the only defence mechanism on the course, which won the day and are likely to do so for the remainder of the tournament. The breezy elements delighted Montgomerie. He said: "It takes away the 63s and 62s, but it doesn't stop people scoring 67s and 68s."