Scott finished three shots ahead of second-placed Canadian Ryan Yip, well clear of other tournament drawcards Rory McIlroy (69), Jason Day (70) and two-time Open champion Aaron Baddeley (67). Adam Scott all smiles after his sixth birdie during his first round. Credit:Anthony Johnson Before a similar gallery that flocked to The Lakes to watch Tiger Woods in 2011, Scott produced a masterclass to give his posse of admirers value for their money. Scott came firing out of the blocks shooting six consecutive birdies on the first six holes – a feat the 33-year-old struggled to recall producing in the past. "I don't think I have," Scott said. "I got off to a great start a few years ago in Qatar on a Sunday and birdied the first five and went on to win that day, shooting 11 under but it's an amazing start. I remember Greg Norman birdieing the first six holes of Royal Troon in 1989 and that's about as good a start as I can remember. Today obviously was very good."

Having rocketed to the lead at six under through as many holes, Scott parred the next eight holes to all but ruin any chance of the coveted round of 59. Sizzling ... Adam Scott plays an approach shot at Royal Sydney. Credit:Getty Images Four birdies on the final four holes helped him to 62, but Scott admits the thought of shooting 59 for the day crossed his mind after his incredible start to the tournament. "To [shoot] 59 – I wasn't thinking about it hard, but I knew it was a possibility with having birdied the six holes I'd birdied, I felt like all the opportunities were still to come," Scott said. "So if I kept it going and had a good run around the turn I thought it was on for sure, especially with six, seven, eight, nine to finish. There's a lot of opportunities if things go your way, so it could have been on but like I said, for whatever reason I struggled for a few holes and then I wasn't giving myself many chances.

"But amazingly I holed so many four and five-foot putts today, which is what you have to do to have a good score or to keep a score, but it's nice to see the bit of practice I've been doing with the putting is working." While he made light work of the Royal Sydney course on the opening day, conditions on Friday afternoon aren't expected to be so friendly to the US Masters champion. Strong winds and rain are expected to arrive in Sydney on Friday, making his opening round even more significant in his quest for his second Open title. There were no shortages of compliments and well wishes from the gallery as Scott made his way around the course. Even teenage girls who managed to get a day off from school to see Australia's premier golfer let their feelings be known, chanting, "We love you Scotty" in sync on the fourth hole. Loading

"I couldn't believe how many people were there this morning early and the crowd swelled really quickly in the first couple of holes," Scott said. "It's been great to come home and see how enthusiastic everyone is about coming out and watching. I wasn't expecting that this morning at all, maybe tomorrow afternoon but just incredible crowds this morning. "It's fun to see golf on a bit of a high down here at the moment; really it's been a lot of fun to play in front of everyone."