MELBOURNE, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Adam Scott showed his growing comfort with the short putter as he lit up Huntingdale Golf Club with a seven-under 64 to take the clubhouse lead in the opening round of the Australian Masters on Thursday.
The former world number one made the most of benign conditions on a muggy, overcast morning and rolled in five birdies on his last eight holes to take an early three-stroke lead.
Local professionals Peter Wilson and Matthew Stieger were joint second on four-under after shooting matching 67s on the storied sandbelt course.
Gusty winds came late in the morning and are likely to make hauling in Scott difficult for the chasing pack in the afternoon.