Frenchman Thomas Levet became only the second player in European Tour history to start a tournament with a hole-in-one at Gleneagles.

The former Ryder Cup player aced the 208-yard 10th on the PGA Centenary Course with a five-iron and went on to score a four-under-par 69 in the opening round of the Johnnie Walker Championship.

Paul Lawrie is the only other player to begin a tour event with an ace - on the very same hole in 2000.

Meanwhile, Marc Warren was back singing the praises of coach Bob Torrance after taking a first round lead with a superb eight-under-par 65.

After more than three months without a top-20 finish last season's Rookie of the Year allowed his feelings to boil over earlier this week - with Torrance, the man who steered Padraig Harrington to Open glory last month, in the firing line.

''I think it's sometimes easy to forget that Bob is in your corner,'' said Warren. ''A lot of times players want to take it out on him purely because he is there. The caddie gets it on the course and he gets it on the range.

''On Tuesday we were working away and it wasn't really the way I wanted it to be. I spoke to Bob later that night and we both agreed I was just frustrated the way I had been playing and it came to a head.

''Everything is fine now. He has an obscene talent for watching the golf swing. But he is human and everybody misses things.''

Hartlepool's Graeme Storm had a steady day, finishing on 70, a round, which included an eagle three at the par five 12th.

Warren grabbed eight birdies on the par-73 Centenary Course and missing his lowest round on the circuit by only one shot.

Now he is hoping he can still improve on his 42nd place on the Order of Merit last year - he is currently 69th - and, of course, win again.

A good performance this week can also enable him to keep his place alongside Montgomerie in Scotland's World Cup side.

On his debut in the event last December they lost a play-off to German Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem.

After a 69 Montgomerie is chasing Warren, who finished the day one ahead of Nicolas Colsaerts and two in front of Miles Tunnicliff and Jeev Milkha Singh.

LEADERBOARD

65 Marc Warren

66 Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel)

67 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Miles Tunnicliff

68 Phillip Archer, Zane Scotland, Joost Luiten (Ned), Shiv Kapur (Ind), Phillip Price, James Hepworth, Simon Wakefield, Mark Pilkington

69 Emanuele Canonica (Ita), Terry Pilkadaris (Aus), Thomas Levet (Fra), Alastair Forsyth, Richard Bland, Dean Robertson, Marcus Higley, Soren Hansen (Den), Colin Montgomerie, Paul Lawrie, Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Tom Whitehouse.