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ST. ANDREWS, Scotland - Thomas Björn’s sparkling 64 saw him surge to the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Björn, who last week captained Continental Europe in The Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros, carded six birdies and an eagle in eventually signing for a splendid eight under par at the Kingsbarns course.

The Dane’s terrific round also contained a putt for a 63 that trickled past the edge of the ninth hole - his last having begun on the tenth - which, had it dropped, would have equalled his lowest-ever score on The European Tour.

“In these conditions, that's probably the easier of the three golf courses, but when you drive it as well as I did today the golf course became very simple,” he said.

“I started rolling in a few putts and everything was just kind of coming together. You find out on links golf if you're playing well or not, and you know, I played well today.”

Björn refused to dwell on the putt that shaved the edge of the hole on the 558 yard par five ninth, instead focusing on the many plus points of a round that came off the back of a busy week fulfilling the role of captain of the Continental European team at The Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros.

“I had a couple of more chances, but when you do when you play well it's just nice to walk off and feel like I got what I deserved.

“I work hard and I'm determined with my golf but there's got to be the freedom and the joy in the game. Hey, days like this certainly help.”

Bjorn’s bogey-free round left him two shots clear of Gareth Maybin, whose 66 on the same course gave him a share of second place with Ross McGowan.

Maybin was also delighted to be in the hunt after a low opening round. “I’ve taken two weeks off and its done me a world of good,” he said.

“I changed my putter, changed the grip on my putter and also the way I go about putting. Everything feels pretty good and I'm quite relaxed.”

McGowan, third on his last start at the Omega European Masters a month ago, was at St Andrews and keen to take advantage of the relatively calm conditions.

The 27 year old, who birdied six of his last 10 holes, stated: "That was the lowest round I've had on the Old Course from the 30-odd times I've played here."

A shot further back on five under par were no less than six players in a tie for third. Of those, arguably the highlight was Richie Ramsay’s superb 67 at Carnoustie.

The Scot, filling in as a replacement for the injured Paul Casey, putted solidly and admitted afterwards he relished the chance to play the unique pro-am format that afforded him a sense of freedom and enjoyment.

“I had an open mind to just go out there to put a score together, and it was good fun,” he said.

“I hit it really solid all day and I made a few putts. I've been working really hard on the putting, which is key to any good score out here.

“The format is good,” he added. “It gives the event a unique credibility and obviously you play three fantastic courses. It's good to have maybe a bit more relaxation on the golf course.”

Also hot on the heels of Bjorn at five under is fellow Dane Jeppe Huldahl, who notched his maiden win on The European Tour back in April when he landed The 2009 Celtic Manor Wales Open.

Huldahl has, however, been celebrating the arrival of his first child but admitted it is still satisfying to shoot such a low score.

“I just had a little baby four weeks ago,” he said. “It was my first, a girl. My mind has not really been on golf but its still nice to shoot five under.”

Further down a congested leaderboard on four under par was, amongst others, Rory McIlroy.

The 20 year old was delighted to negotiate Carnoustie with a sub-par round that keeps in the upper reaches of the standings.

“I remember shooting 69 here last year in a pretty tough day and to shoot 68 today, that's pretty good,” he commented.

“I'm very comfortable with my game at the minute. It's a great start to the week and hopefully I can build on it and carry it forward for the next three days."

Second placed McGowan tops the Team Competition after he and partner Richard Bevan, the Chairman of the League Managers Association, combined beautifully to produce a team score of 11 under par.