It moved the 27-year-old from High Wycombe to four under and alongside American Chris DiMarco, who was in the group behind him waiting on the tee to get going again.

Meanwhile, over on the back nine Phil Mickelson’s opening shot was to the 12th green and he put it to seven feet and made it to improve to three under and joint third place with Australian Mark Hensby, the overnight leader in the clubhouse.

Just as he rose to the occasion on his Ryder Cup debut last September, Donald is already making his presence felt at his first Masters.

With only two of the “Fab Four” – world number one Vijay Singh and defending champion Mickelson – firing on anything like all cylinders when the Masters got under way after a five-and-a-half-hour rain delay yesterday, Donald seized the chance to shine yet again.

Sixty-eight of the 93-strong field – now down to 91 with Nick Faldo pulling out with a back injury and 73-year-old Billy Casper withdrawing after his record 106 – had still to complete their first rounds.

DiMarco was joint leader after 54 holes last year before falling away and watching Mickelson triumph, then lost a play-off to Singh in the US PGA Championship.

Tiger Woods resumed on the fourth on two over – incredibly, he sent an eagle putt into Rae’s Creek on the 13th and bogeyed – and Ernie Els, last year’s runner-up, was three over with seven to go.

It was only two weeks ago, of course, that Donald finished second in the Players Championship – golf’s unofficial fifth Major – and he now stands 16th in the world.

Among the players he has overtaken to get there is his World Cup-winning partner Paul Casey, and the gap between them could grow this weekend.

That is because Casey, sixth on his debut last year, ran up a 10 on the par-five 13th yesterday and finished with a 79.

Two bad drives and a miscalculation of the wind led to that 10, but the Surrey golfer is struggling with his irons too and with a wild shot off the tee at the fourth almost hit two of golf’s most powerful figures – Peter Dawson, chief executive of the Royal and Ancient Club, and David Fay of the United States Golf Association.

“My iron play has been letting me down all week and I was a little bit scared by some shots,” he admitted.

“The ball was just not going where I wanted it to.”

Faldo made it only to the ninth hole before deciding not to continue. He was four over at the time.

“I can’t make a backswing or a follow-through,” he said.

“It was my third shot on number two. It’s funny – I can hit a bag of drivers, but with a shorter shot it does something to me. It just bites.

“It’s something I’ve had for 18 months or so and I’m trying to strengthen it, but it just got me there. Good timing – this place of all places!

“I will go and hang upside down like a fruitbat or something to try to stretch it out.”

David Howell was delighted to come in with a level-par 72 on his debut and also joint 11th at the end of the day were Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke after 14 and 12 holes respectively.

One further back is Ian Poulter, while Sandy Lyle stands two over and Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia are three over.

Ian Woosnam managed just a 78, Graeme McDowell slumped to an outward 42 and is seven over and British amateur champion Stuart Wilson could do no better than 82.

That put the 27-year-old Scot 89th of the 91 who remain, one place ahead of Fuzzy Zoeller, who was penalised four strokes for having an extra club in his bag.

DiMarco countered with a two of his own to be the outright leader again at five under - and it came on the hole he aced in the opening round last year.

Harrington birdied the long 15th to climb to joint eighth on one under and Els repaired some of the damage of the opening day with a three at the 350-yard third, but Clarke had his second-successive bogey on the fourth to slip to one over.