Some things just stay the same at the Masters.

For Stephen Gallacher, more of the same will do him nicely. The 40-year-old Scot began his 2015 campaign at Augusta National with a one-under 71, the score he posted on his debut round in the golf season's first major 12 months ago. "I didn't realise that until the recorder told me," admitted Gallacher. He also didn't realise that his opening tee shot had smacked a patron on the hand as it veered left into the trees. Unlike many tour pros these days, Gallacher yelped a robust 'fore left'. There was no great damage done. The female in question was up and on the move but may not have fancied clapping much. Gallacher got up but couldn't get down in the required number of blows and leaked a shot on the first. "When you do that you just have to think 'well, I've got 71 holes to go'," added the Ryder Cup player, who was sitting four shots behind early clubhouse leaders, Charley Hoffman and former US Open champion Justin Rose. "The guy who wins will have bogeys. It's just the fewer the better."

Gallacher has now giving himself a solid platform upon which he can build. He made amends for the early bogey with a 3-iron into three-feet that spawned a birdie at the fourth and dipped under-par when a nicely flighted 7-iron at the 10th dropped to within six-feet and he gobbled up the opportunity. His gain at the 15th, meanwhile, was one from the Augusta National tourist brochure. "At 15 I was behind a tree and had to hook it round it," explained Gallacher of his adventurous route to the green. "That shot nearly went in the water and was on the bank and I chipped it in from there. I left myself an easy chip mind you. The pin was right on the front."

All in all, it was a good day at the office for the Bathgate man who sits in 38th place on the world rankings. "The most pleasing thing is to shoot under par," said Gallacher, who posted three steady rounds in the 70s last year but was tripped up by a crippling 81 in round three. "I hit a couple of wayward drives at 14 and 15 and managed to get away with a birdie at one of them. There were a couple of three putts too so it evens itself out. The wind was picking up over the last four or five holes and that's the biggest problem. When it's constant you know what it is but when it gusts round here it can cause havoc."

On a hot and humid Georgia day, Gallacher kept his cool. Refreshed and ready to go after four weeks away from the cut-and-thrust of the tournament scene, the three-times European Tour champion is well prepared for the marathon that is major championship golf.

"I've not played for the best part of a month and I was just trying to take it easy," he added. "I've got a few big events coming up and you have to pace yourself, especially round here. Augusta takes it out of you mentally and physically. All you are doing in the build up is preparing as well as you can. It's the same every week and you just try to get your game in shape so that's it's good enough to win given the chance. You need one decent four or five under round here though. If you can have that, then it gets you right up there."

Sandy Lyle, the 1988 Masters champion, was one-under after three holes but eventually carded a two-over 74. His playing partner, the young Scottish amateur Bradley Neil, had to settle for a 78. Three successive bogeys to finish would not have made the Blairgowrie teenager's supper taste very nice.