Donald - in contention after day one (Getty Images).

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Just as he rose to the occasion on his Ryder Cup debut last September, England's Luke Donald is already making his presence felt at his first Masters.

With only two of the 'Fab Four' - world number one Vijay Singh and defending champion Phil Mickelson - firing on anything like all cylinders when the Masters got under way, Donald seized the chance to shine yet again.

The 27-year-old will resume on three under par after 14 holes, alongside clubhouse leader Mark Hensby and one behind on-course leader Chris DiMarco, the first round carrying over into a second day after rain wiped out the scheduled opening five and a half hours of play on Thursday.

Some 68 of the 93-strong field - now down to 91 with Nick Faldo pulling out with a back injury and 73-year-old Billy Casper withdrawing after his record 106 - had still to complete their first rounds when they returned to Augusta National.

Donald's last three holes on Thursday night were all birdies, but playing in the group behind DiMarco matched that to put himself in position to make up for the disappointments of last year.

The American was joint leader after 54 holes before falling away and watching Mickelson triumph, and he then lost a play-off to Singh in the US PGA championship.

Mickelson and Singh set off again this morning on two under par, but a misfiring Tiger Woods was down on two-over - incredibly, he sent an eagle putt into Rae's Creek on the 13th and bogeyed - and a spluttering Ernie Els, last year's runner-up, needed a chip-in on the 17th just to be three-over. He was in the water on the 15th.

Donald had a real bonus just before play was halted, rolling in a 35-foot putt from off the green at the short fourth, his 13th, but it is a measure of how far he has come in the game that even though this is his maiden trip to the course few were surprised to see his name on the leaderboard.

Just two weeks ago he finished second in the Players Championship - golf's unofficial fifth major - and he has risen to 16th in the world.

Paul Casey, sixth on his debut last year, ran up a 10 on the par-five 13th and finished with a 79.

Casey's wild shot off the tee at the fourth almost hit two of golf's most powerful figures - Peter Dawson, chief executive of the Royal and Ancient Club, and David Fay of the United States Golf Association.

Faldo made it only to the ninth hole before deciding not to continue. He was four-over at the time.

Of his back injury, Faldo joked: "I will go and hang upside down like a fruit bat or something to try to stretch it out."

David Howell came in with a level-par 72 on his debut, while Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke were also on even par after 14 and 12 holes respectively.

One further back was Ian Poulter, while Sandy Lyle stood two-over and Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia were three-over.

Ian Woosnam managed just a 78, Graeme McDowell slumped to an outward 42 and finished the day seven-over and British amateur champion Stuart Wilson could do no better than 82.