Despite missing a short birdie putt from barely one metre at the final hole, 54-year-old Norman had to be satisfied with his first competitive round at Augusta National since 2002.

Cheered on by an adoring gallery that included wife Chris Evert, Norman gathered three birdies and one bogey to trail clubhouse leader Jim Furyk by four strokes in ideal conditions.

Norman claimed he missed a few putts on greens that have been altered since he last played here, but he was hardly in a mood to complain about what might have been.

"My whole objective today was to come and play solid, keep expectations low," Norman said.

"I had a lot of opportunities and could have shot a nice mid-60s score, but I'm not complaining. It was a good, solid round."

While Norman was in a good mood, the same could not be said for fellow Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who challenged for the lead before bogeying the final two holes for an ultimately disappointing one-under 71.

Ogilvy signed his card quickly and refused to talk about his round as he entered the locker room.

Asked for a quick comment, he said: "You're not getting one at all."

Leader Furyk, meanwhile, made his move late, with four consecutive birdies from the 14th hole to set the pace on six-under 66, one stroke ahead of Japan's Shingo Katayama.