A day with the driver that he described as the “best in forever” provided the backbone to Scott’s eight-under 63 and a share of second at TPC Craig Ranch.

He is three strokes back of Korea’s Seung-yul Noh who had just 21 putts in his round of 11-under 60 and one clear of fellow Queenslander Jason Day (64).

A five-under back-nine including a hole-out wedge from 123 metres at the par-4 third saw ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner David Micheluzzi post six-under 65 in his debut round on the PGA TOUR.

Micheluzzi is in a tie for 10th with Min Woo Lee, Greg Chalmers and Cameron Percy all recording rounds of two-under 69 on day one.

The change to the TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver has begun to produce dividends for Scott in recent weeks.

He led the field in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee in Round 1 in hitting 11 of 14 fairways at an average of 324.3 yards and a best of 352 yards at the par-4 eighth.

His 319-yard drive found the green at the par-4 14th, his two-putt birdie one of nine on the day.

“It’s probably the best I’ve driven it in forever,” said Scott, who was four-under through five after starting his round on No.10.

“That was a nice way to start every hole.

“Took advantage of that nicely, certainly out of the gates on some of the long par-4s, birdieing three of the first four holes on that side is a nice way to start.

“Was happy to keep it going all the way around.”

As Scott reflected on the first round of his 379th on the PGA TOUR and his best since 2014, Micheluzzi was still taking in the enormity of his first.

A three-time winner on the Australasian Tour this past season, Micheluzzi is playing on invitation this week and received a late exemption into next week’s US PGA Championship.

Admitting that nerves played a part in a somewhat slow start, the 26-year-old Victorian kicked into gear with a shot to three-feet at the par-3 17th.

Birdie there brought him back to level par through eight holes and he followed it with birdies on 18, two, five and eight and the eagle on three.

“All of a sudden I was four-under when I was one-over through seven,” said Micheluzzi of his timely eagle.

“I’m stoked. Anything under par I would have been happy, but six-under is delightful.

“It’s probably something I’ll never forget. Just the run I went on, which I have been doing that of late in tournaments back home and then one in Korea, once I got running, like nothing could stop me, which was cool.”

After missing the cut on the number last week at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, Day responded with a bogey-free seven-under 64 to be tied for fourth.

The 35-year-old didn’t make his first birdie until the par-4 eighth but then made four on the trot, pin-point approach play providing three opportunities from inside 15 feet and a two-putt birdie on the par-5 ninth.

He birdied 15 and 16 and then had a chance for eagle from 24 feet on 18, tapping in for birdie to sit four strokes from the lead.

Paired with world No.1 Scottie Scheffler who had four birdies and an eagle in his opening six holes in his round of 64, Day praised the patient way he built into his round and the tournament.

“It’s kind of hard to be patient sometimes when you’re watching your playing partner shoot six-under through six, playing some pretty top-notch golf,” said Day.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to admire it.

“It was good to get a four-under run in the middle part of my round. I think maybe 20-under or so will win this, so you’re thinking at least five a day would be good.

“It was nice to get a couple more than that.”

At the Regions Tradition – the first senior major of 2023 – Victorian pair Richard Green and David McKenzie are the best-placed Aussies after Round 1 in Alabama.

Green and McKenzie both posted rounds of two-under 70 to sit three back of leaders Billy Andrade (67), Paul Broadhurst (67) and Tim O’Neal (67).

McKenzie burst out of the blocks with an eagle at the par-5 second and birdied the par-5 fifth to be three-under at the turn.

He dropped shots at 12 and 15 and then made birdie at the last to earn a share of 14th after day one.

Stuart Appleby and Mark Hensby both had rounds of two-over 74, Rod Pampling and John Senden starting their tournament with rounds of three-over 75.