IT was going to take something special to take at least part of the attention away from Tiger Woods on the opening day of The Masters – but 60-year-old Tom Watson managed it.

Twelve months after crashing out of the event with an 83, his worst round in a career at Augusta that goes back 40 years, the remarkable Watson matched his best ever score with a five-under-par 67.

And this, of course, nine months after he was one putt away from winning The Open and becoming the oldest major champion in history by 11 years.

‘‘It’s been a wonderful week,’’ he said. ‘‘My son proposed marriage when we played the practice round and his bride-to-be didn’t know anything about it.

‘‘Everybody was in on the scam and I think a big part of my success today was having my son on the bag.

‘‘He said ‘Dad, show me.

Show me you can still play this golf course.’ You know what, I wanted to show him I can still play the golf course.’’ The score was then matched by England’s Lee Westwood thanks to four birdies in the last seven holes and the world number four, third both in The Open and USPGA last year, said: ‘‘That’s my lowest ever round here, never mind the first round.

‘‘But that’s the level my game is at now. I don’t have ins and outs. I hit every green in regulation basically and you can be relaxed if you are confident.’’ He was most pleased with his bunker shot at the long 15th – which set up one of seven birdies – and added: ‘‘You probably won’t see a better one all day, maybe all week.’’ There were others off to flying starts as well and by midafternoon Watson and Westwood had become part of a four-way tie. Also in with 67s and sharing the lead were Phil Mickelson, like Watson a twotime champion, and YE Yang, the Korean who pushed Woods into second place at golf’s last major.

As for the world number one, he had to be thrilled first by the ovation he received and then by covering the first six holes in one under, but not so much by the banner trailing a light plane that circled overhead.

It read ‘‘Tiger – did you mean bootyism?’’, a play on the fact that Woods says he has returned to Buddhism in his attempt to mend his ways after the shocking sex scandal that erupted last November.

This is his first tournament since then and he appeared to take no notice as he followed two opening pars with a pitch to five feet on the third for his first birdie since he won the Australian Masters 144 days previously.

Two days earlier, Watson had told Jack Nicklaus at the champions dinner that Augusta National had become too long for him.

Nicklaus, who himself joined Arnold Palmer as an honorary starter by hitting the ceremonial opening drives this morning, was having none of it.

The Golden Bear said: ‘‘It was like when (Lee) Trevino said he could never play well here and I said ’That’s rubbish, you can play anywhere.’ ‘‘Just the same, you never know what Watson could do.

He’s still a very good player.’’ Sure enough Watson, who has not made the halfway cut at the course for the last eight years, did not have a bogey on his card and picked up strokes at the first, third, 15th, 16th and 18th for another day he will never forget.

Welshman Ian Woosnam, now 52, fired 81 – matching his worst ever Masters round, while Oliver Wilson could do no better than 78, Graeme Mc- Dowell 75, Luke Donald 74 and Paul Casey 75.

That was a real shocker.

Casey stood three under with four to play, but chipped into the water from over the green at the long 15th and followed a triple bogey eight there with a bogey on the next and closing double bogey.

Yorkshire’s Simon Dyson and Surrey’s Ross Fisher were four over with two and six to go respectively.

Woods missed an eight-foot putt and had his first bogey on the seventh, but a glorious long-iron approach to the 570- yard next gave him an eagle opportunity from similar range.

Despite some strong gusts of winds as he stood over the putt – a storm was known to be approaching – he made it and so leapt to two under and joint 10th place.

Speaking about his 75, Casey said: ‘‘That was very frustrating. It was probably the best I have hit the ball all year and I didn’t get any good bounces when I needed one, simple as that, and I didn’t putt well at all.’’ Woods followed only his second eagle ever on the eighth – the first was in the final round a year ago – with a miraculous birdie and by turning in 33 was joint seventh and on the leaderboard.

Pulling his drive on the ninth meant he had to hook his approach around 40 yards, but the ball curled onto the green and finished 10 feet behind the flag.

He bogeyed the next, however, to be three behind the four leaders again.

McIlroy chipped in on the 14th, but that was to get back to two over, while Harrington was on the same mark and Poulter one under after 11.

Sandy Lyle’s huge affection for Augusta National continued with a three under par first round of 69 – his first sub- 70 in the event for 18 years.

It left the 52-year-old 1988 champion, who has made the halfway cut the last three years, only two behind pacesetters Watson, Westwood, YE Yang and Phil Mickelson.

‘‘I’m very chuffed with that,’’ said Lyle. ‘‘A birdiebirdie finish will always put a smile on your face around here, especially in those conditions because it was very blustery out there at times.

‘‘I just started to hole a couple of putts as I was coming down the stretch, which was good because I hadn’t really holed anything all day.’’