Garcia shared the lead with Australian Marc Leishman after an opening 66, equalling his lowest round at Augusta despite admitting the course was still “not my most favourite place”.

It was the first time Garcia had led a major since the 2007 Open, when he led outright after each of the first three rounds but eventually lost out in a play-off to Padraig Harrington at Carnoustie.

The 33-year-old finished second in the US PGA Championship as a 19-year-old back in 1999 and has had 15 top-10 finishes in 57 major appearances, but after coming 12th here last year said: “I’m not good enough. In 13 years I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to play for second or third place.”

Second place was where Garcia found himself after three holes of his second round, making pars on the first two holes before making a mess of the short par-four third.

After driving into a fairway bunker and coming up short of the green with his approach, Garcia’s pitch ran over the back of the green, from where he putted up 10 feet short of the flag.

He did at least hole that putt to drop only one shot, leaving Leishman – who was among the later starters – alone at the top of the leaderboard.

Garcia was not alone in struggling however, with Dustin Johnson suffering a dreaded shank on the par-five second which sent his second shot all the way across the fairway and on to a spectator walkway crossing the adjacent third.

Johnson, third overnight after a 67, saved par there but had bogeyed the first and dropped another on the third to lie three under par alongside Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, who had started with a birdie on the first but dropped shots on the third and seventh.

Meanwhile, Chinese schoolboy Guan Tianlang, at 14 the youngest competitor in Masters history, was one over for his round after six holes and two over for the tournament as he continued his remarkable performance.

Asked if he could win the event after his opening 73, Guan said: “I think probably not this year but I think I can win it in the future. I want to win a major and hopefully I can win the four majors in one year.”

Garcia also bogeyed the tough par-three third, where only two birdies were made yesterday, to fall two shots behind Leishman, while American Matt Kuchar had birdied the second as the rain stopped to move into second place on five under.

Rory McIlroy, who had complained once more of the need to cut out “silly mistakes” after his opening 72, three-putted the first for a bogey and then dropped another shot on the third.

At two over par he was still within 10 shots of the leader and therefore on course to make the cut, but the former world number one continued to look a shadow of the player who won five times last year, including his second major title.

England’s David Lynn, playing only the third major of his career, opened with a par at the first to remain four under, while the best golf of the day was coming from Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and American Nick Watney.

The pair were two under for the day, but that still left them four over for the tournament after opening rounds of 78.