Gareth Maybin bounced back from a double bogey at the first to post a three-under-par 69 and finish his first round of the Johnnie Walker Classic two shots off the lead of Scotland’s Paul Lawrie at Gleneagles.
The Ulsterman shot a six on the opening par four and dropped another at the fifth before striking back at the par three sixth.
Another birdie at the ninth meant he turned on one over and birdies at the 10th, 12th, 14th and 15th completed an impressive turnaround and saw him sign for a 69 along with host of others including Dane Soren Hansen, Anthony Wall and Swede Alexander Noren.
Lawrie holds a one shot lead over Frenchman Gregory Havret, Sweden’s Ake Nilsson, Australian Wade Ormsby and compatriot Steven O’Hara.
Paul McGinley and Damien McGrane finished level par after 72s, with Gary Murphy a shot adrift.
Shane Lowry and Jonathan Caldwell both birdied the 18th to finish two over and level par respectively, but Dubliner Peter Lawrie carded a 74.
It was even worse for local favourite Colin Montgomerie, who is refusing to blame his current slump on becoming Ryder Cup captain.
Montgomerie has never missed four successive halfway cuts on the European Tour, but that fate is now staring him in the face after a four-over-par 76.
"My golf was going downhill any way," he said. The 46-year-old, appointed captain in January, entered 2009 ranked 121st in the world. He is now 232nd - and 94th on the European money list.
Without a top-10 finish for 14 months, Montgomerie added after today’s round: "I didn't play well, obviously. I haven't been playing well all year, and it just continues - same again."
Wayward drives on the 13th and seventh were both lost and cost him double-bogey sixes.
Montgomerie's first tournament after he was given the captaincy saw him finish 13th in Dubai. He matched that in France last month - but then came a 46th place finish in the Scottish Open and missed cuts in The Open, the US PGA and last week's KLM Open in Holland.
"I've lost a bit of confidence - obviously you do when you miss cuts and you don't compete, never mind contend," he said.
In May, he said of leading Europe: "It's a huge distraction, which might well be a good thing in the long run, I'm not sure.
"Wait and see on that one. The jury is out on that."
