When it comes to playing bunker shots Luke Donald is in a league of his own at the moment - but he would rather not keep showing it.
Donald's opening two-under-par 70 at the WGC-CA Championship in windy Miami yesterday was thanks in no small measure to holing out from the sand for a rare birdie on the 18th, the US Tour's second toughest hole last year.
In his first tournament back from becoming a father a month earlier than was expected, the 32-year-old resumes today three strokes behind Charl Schwartzel.
South African Schwartzel was the only one of the 68 players to keep a bogey off his card in the difficult conditions and he led overnight by one from Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Robert Allenby, who between them dropped four shots on the 18th.
Donald's aim, of course, is to find the greens rather than the bunkers, but having topped the "sand saves" category on the US Tour last season he is more than 10% better than anybody else so far this year.
"I've worked hard on it," he said. "I was pretty good at college, but when I came out on Tour I thought I was pretty average.
"I'd have given myself five or six out of 10 back then. Now I'm a nine."
Everybody was trailing in the wake of Robert Allenby for a while yesterday, but after racing to eight-under the Australian bogeyed the last four holes.
Singh then reached six-under before hooking his drive into the lake on the last and Els was five under when he did the same with his second shot. Singh walked off with a double bogey six, but Els got away with a five.
A total of 18 balls went into the water there and the par four played to an average of 4.6, but five players did manage birdies and Padraig Harrington was among them as he also handed in a 70.
Leading the European challenge one better than that, however, are Dane Soren Hansen, Italian Francesco Molinari (another to close with a six) and in-form Paul Casey.
Second and fourth on his last two starts and with a chance this week to go to second in the world for the first time, Casey thought Allenby must be playing a different course when he looked up and saw eight-under against his game.
"I'm very happy with a 69 - and to be only two behind," he said. "Florida courses don't have a soft spot in my heart, but I like the challenge of this one."
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