Mahan the man to catch in Miami

Fourteen birdies between them in just 10 holes were still not enough to make Europe’s world leaders Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald the overnight pacesetters in Miami.

Kaymer and Donald both stood five under par and Westwood four under at the end of a storm-shortened opening day at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, but American Hunter Mahan had raced into a two-stroke advantage on seven under after 11 holes.

What golf’s three top-ranked players had done, though, was outshine the group carrying the biggest crowd – Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Graeme McDowell.

In a field of only 66 Woods and McDowell were down in 32nd place on one under with three holes remaining, while Mickelson was just one shot better after mixing four birdies with two bogeys.

Woods, clearly still struggling to find his form, covered the back nine in a one over 37 before finally opening his birdie account at the first and third.

Mickelson told www.pgatour.com: “We didn’t play our best, but we didn’t play terrible. We’re in a good position tomorrow to come back out, finish the round strong and play our second round.”

Kaymer added: “I had a fantastic start but to be honest, it was not that difficult today. You can see the scores. A bunch of people are under par, so it doesn’t seem that difficult.”

The Blue Monster course was at the mercy of the game’s star names once a violent thunderstorm has passed through the area.

Not only did play have to be suspended for more than two-and-a-half hours, but 17 trees were uprooted, television towers blown over and the 17th green damaged by flying debris.

The giant scoreboard by the final hole, meanwhile, was beyond repair and tournament officials decided to close a two-storey hospitality unit because it was not considered safe any more.

Because of the small number of players – it was reduced by three with Bubba Watson falling sick and Ben Crane and Tim Clark failing to recover from injuries - the event should be able to make up for lost time today.

Kaymer justified his status as the new number one in the sport by opening with three straight birdies and by the long eighth was already five under.

Donald, who beat the German in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship a fortnight ago to leap from ninth to third on the rankings, then caught him with a hat-trick of birdies around the turn.

And Westwood, who could reclaim top spot with a top four finish this weekend, matched two of those birdies to tuck in just behind.

Woods was lucky to get away with a couple of wild shots, but failed to get up and down from a bunker at the short 13th – his fourth – and was down near the rear of the field until he began to make a move at the start of the outward half.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Scot Martin Laird were alongside Westwood, while Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and England’s Ross Fisher were one further back, but Paul Casey was just one under and Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Welshman Rhys Davies one over.

Davies and Poulter, who both drove into the water and double-bogeyed the third, just had time to finish, but 73s were far from what they were hoping for on a day of spectacular low scoring.

Mahan, the player beaten by McDowell with the Ryder Cup in the balance at Celtic Manor last October, showed what was possible by going to the turn in just 30 and then adding another birdie on the par five first.