The round left Robertson only two behind early leader Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano – and a massive 10 ahead of former Open champion Mark Calcavecchia, whose day was memorable for a very different reason.

He went off to get married again at Lake Coma after playing.

Robertson looked a real star in the making when he edged out Padraig Harrington by a stroke in Turin six years ago.

They had been Walker Cup team-mates in their amateur days and later in 1999 the former Scottish champion partnered Colin Montgomerie in the World Cup in Malaysia.

But it was on his return from there that things started to change. A mystery virus left him unable to sleep or eat properly for three months and his weight tumbled from 11 to nine stone.

Worse was to follow, though. Robertson began to suffer from clinical depression and missed much of the 2002 and 2003 seasons.

After being given a medical extension to his tour membership, Robertson had to return to the qualifying school last November, but with only a stroke to spare regained his card and could start rebuilding his career.

So far this year he has made only one halfway cut in seven tournaments, but he was always going to look forward to returning to Italy.

“It’s no coincidence I’ve started well here because my Italian Open record is really good and you draw from past experiences,” he said. “Being in the right frame of mind is like a shot start every round.

“I’m looking to regain top form. It’s about getting in position, being comfortable with it and then moving forward.”

Robertson led when he completed an outward 31 with an eagle on the 513-yard ninth, but he could not maintain that pace and Spanish rookie Fernandez-Castano took over at the top when he finished his round by eagling the same hole.

The 24-year-old, who as an amateur finished 10th in the 2003 Madrid Open, leads by a stroke from England’s Simon Khan, Ireland’s Gary Murphy, Welshman Bradley Dredge and Argentina’s Sebastian Fernandez.

They all completed 18 holes in brilliant sunshine, but in mid-afternoon play was suspended because of an approaching thunderstorm.

At the time France’s Francois Delamontagne was sharing second place and still had three holes to play.

Defending champion Graeme McDowell, the only player in the world’s top 50 taking part, is four behind following a 70, but Calcavecchia needs a massive improvement just to survive the halfway cut on his debut in the event.

The 44-year-old, whose father’s family came from Sicily, did not sound too optimistic.

“I was hitting it crooked with my driver coming here, I’m in constant pain with my back, my feet hurt, my knees creek and my brain’s shot,” he said. “But I can’t use it as an excuse. I just stank.”

One thing he did not do was blame his caddie. Maybe because he was about to marry her.

Calcavecchia’s fiancée Brenda – as she was at the time – wrote the words “I Do” on his golf balls.

Except he thought it said “100” and told her: “You haven’t got much faith in me.”

“It’s disappointing to come over here and have my worst round of the year,” he added before switching to tuxedo. Brenda went off to change from her shirt and shorts into what she called her “Princess Di” dress.

Khan, who defends his Wales Open title next month, had an eagle and six birdies, but also a triple-bogey seven on the sixth. He was in the rough off the tee there and his attempted recovery with a nine iron moved just four yards.

Dredge was delighted to shoot 67 as well, his last competitive round in the Spanish Open three weeks ago being an 83, while Murphy, chasing his first tour title, led until he had his only bogey of the day on the 17th.

Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam managed only a 73 to trail by seven.

The players waited around for more than two-and-a-half hours, but at just after 7pm it was decided that the first round would not resume until 7am tomorrow.