Australian Robert Allenby has made a great start to the WGC-CA Championship to be one shot off the lead, but he'll be disappointed to not be leading after a disastrous finish to his opening round.

Allenby looked on track to be leading the tournament after he defied the windy conditions in Miami to card six birdies and an eagle by the 12th hole, but four bogeys to close his round left him with a four-under-par round of 68.

That handed top spot to South African Charl Schwartzel with his five under par 67 the only bogey-free round of the day.

Allenby pitched in from 114 yards for an eagle two at the fifth and after turning in 30 added further birdies on the 10th and 12th, both par fives.

He started to come back to the pack, however, when he went over the green at the 245-yard 15th.

"I couldn't believe it was long. I thought it was short," he commented.

"Then I got a flyer on the 16th, thought I was perfect on the 17th and found myself with no shot from the bunker, then tried to hit a cut on the last and hit it dead straight."

Schwartzel, twice a winner in his native South Africa already this year, was overtaken by Vijay Singh, but the Fijian found the lake on the treacherous 18th and double-bogeyed.

Ernie Els' birdies at the 14th and 16th took him alongside his young compatriot, but he too was in the water at the last and with a bogey five slipped into a tie with Singh and Allenby on four under.

Australian John Senden mixed six birdies with three bogeys to be a further stroke back in a tie for fifth alongside in-form Englishman Paul Casey, who came off the course thinking Allenby must have been playing somewhere else.

"I thought Robert was playing a different course," said the world No.6, who has a chance this week to become Tiger Woods' closest challenger on the rankings for the first time.

"That was very impressive stuff - there are a lot of tough holes here - and I'm very happy with my 69."

Geoff Ogilvy and Alistair Presnell both shot even-par rounds of 72 to be in a tie for 24th, while Adam Scott is at two over.

from pgatour.com.au