Sergio Garcia and Nick Faldo found themselves doing some counting in Sydney yesterday.

But while it was birdies in Garcia's case - nine in all as a 64 gave him the first round lead in the Greg Norman Holden International - Faldo's calculations were very different.

First he had to tot up how many shots he took on the long 17th - also nine - then it was necessary to count the cost as well.

His three over par 76 on a day of low scoring at The Lakes left Faldo joint 127th of the 156-strong field. A second successive missed cut in Australia loomed and with both being Ryder Cup qualifying events the disappointment was doubled.

Make that trebled, in fact. Finishing third in the Alfred Dunhill championship in Johannesburg three weeks ago had filled the 43-year-old with hope, but even before he hit two five woods into the water he had been struggling to make his presence felt again.

Garcia returned to the form which held the golf world captivated two seasons ago.

The 21-year-old, winner of approaching £2m in his first year as a professional, capitalised on the still morning conditions to finish the day one ahead of European Order of Merit leader Pierre Fulke and two in front of Londoner Daren Lee, Welshman Phillip Price, New Zealander Steve Alker and tournament host Norman, two days short of his 46th birthday.

It was not the lowest round of Garcia's career, but in relation to par nine under matched the opening 62 he had at Loch Lomond 19 months ago.

Having arrived from Pebble Beach only on Tuesday, jet-lag was always going to be a potential problem, but the Spanish star said: ''After a couple of good nights' sleep I felt great.

''I started hitting the ball really good and made some nice early birdies. It kept me going for the whole round.''

The score, one outside the course record set by Adam Scott as an amateur last year, could easily have been lower. Garcia needed only a seven-iron for his second shot to the dog-leg 534-yard 14th, but had to settle for par after hitting it into sand.

Fulke continues to flourish after securing a Ryder Cup debut by winning the Volvo Masters in November and reaching the final of the World Matchplay Championship in Melbourne last month.

The Swede had an extra reason to be delighted with his 65. He achieved it with the pressure of partnering Norman on home turf and without the driver banned in America because of the spring-like effect of its clubface.

Fulke also had nine birdies, but a bogey on the 459-yard third cost him a share of the lead.

Harlow-based Lee was the surprise name on the leaderboard. The 36-year-old narrowly avoided an eighth visit to the qualifying school last season, finishing 115th on the Order of Merit, and for him seven under represented the best round of his tour career