The system is aimed at encouraging attacking golf and seemed to bear fruit last year, where 93 eagles were made compared to the PGA tournament average of 41.

A birdie wins two points, an eagle five and with a par being zero and a bogey only minus one, the onus is on the players to attack the pin.

Fowler, in his 26th year as a professional, did that with precision with nine birdies before a single bogey on the last denied him the chance to equal his career-best round of 63.

Nevertheless, he led the field by a point from compatriot Stuart Appleby, with the in-form Peter Lonard another point back on 15 and Craig Parry on 14.

After winning back his card European Tour card following a turbulent couple of years, Fowler is enjoying his golf again.

And he put much of it down to a rigid fitness regime.

“I work out six times a week in the gym, for an hour to an hour and a half and I’ve started the year with a higher base of fitness,” said Fowler.

“I feel rejuvenated, I’m feeling good. I’m doing hard interval training on the bike.

“I’m enjoying golf much more, understanding the work and planning – I feel like a rookie again.

“I feel free and easy and ready to go.”

Fowler’s 64 was matched by Appleby, whose round was faultless and included four consecutive birdies between his fourth and seventh holes.

But he managed only eight birdies rather than Fowler’s nine and therefore was worth only 16 points.

Nevertheless Appleby, who spurned the lucre of “boghole” Pebble Beach and chose to play in Sydney on the course which overlooks Botany Bay and includes a number of dramatic tee positions, was delighted with his first round efforts.

“I played well,” he said. “I hit the ball a good length today and had a couple of nice kick-in birdies.

Basically I hit the ball well off the tee and with my irons, and I putted well too. A good clean round of golf.

“If I have three more rounds like that I’ll have a pretty damn good tournament.”

Peter Lonard, who finished tied for second at last week’s Heineken Classic, maintained his fine form to reach the end of day one in third place on 15 points having shot a 65 that included an eagle three on the par-five 12th.

One point back was Parry, who sunk seven birdies in his last 14 holes to card a 65 and bag 14 points.

“I made a good start and on the back nine everything fell into place,” he said.

“It was one of those days when you scored low.”

Behind the leading pack of Australians, there is a fierce battle developing with 14 players divided by just two shots.

Germany’s Tobias Dier, Steve Collins – another Australian – and England’s Matthew Blackey scored 12 points while in close contention are the likes of Stephen Leaney, who had two eagles, and Robert Karlsson on 11.

Steve Webster and Peter Senior have 10 points but England’s Paul Casey endured another erratic round to finish back on eight.

The 25-year-old reached the 12th with 10 points, only for his game to fall apart.

He bogeyed the 13th and then had a disastrous time on the 15th, hitting both his first drive and provisional into the bushes and finished with a double bogey.

In the modified stableford format, a double bogey or anything worse registers as minus three, which meant his points tally had tumbled from 10 to six in three holes.

The plucky Englishman eventually picked up a birdie on the last to claw back two points.

Ireland's Peter Lawrie is in joint 27th after a 69 which clocked him eight points.