Let's get the tiresome film references in early.

This was an Italian Job with a French Connection for Francesco Molinari as he stamped his authority all over Castle Stuart during round one of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

With the course vulnerable to a major assault in the calm, inviting conditions, the 29-year-old from Turin went on the offensive and blitzed the links with a superb, course record 10-under 62 which gave him a two-stroke advantage over Spain's Alejandro Canizares, who mounted a sparkling charge late in the day to birdie his last six holes in a 64.

As Molinari racked up the red figures, excited chatter of the first 59 on the European Tour grew in volume. Ultimately, it didn't come to pass – but in a fashion, it did. Molinari's blistering form was in evidence during the closing two rounds of the French Open last weekend. On an explosive final day, during which he shot a 64, the former Italian Amateur champion surged up into second place with an inward half of 29 at Le Golf National in Paris. Yesterday on Scottish turf, Molinari raced to the turn in 30. His last 18 competitive holes, therefore, required just 59 blows. Not bad going.

Having started on the 10th, the three-time European Tour winner made an early move with a birdie on the 11th. He upped the ante with a run of five birdies in a row from the 14th before reeling off a succession of gains at the third, fourth, fifth and sixth to set the seal on a rousing round.

With hardly a breath of wind, especially for the morning starters, the flags were as limp as wet noodles and the soft fairways and greens, created by all that rain which mercifully stayed away for the opening round, meant the course was there for the taking.

This was a day to bring out the heavy artillery, with Castle Stuart's defences weakened considerably, and Molinari unleashed all of his firepower. It was links golf but not quite the true links game he was introduced to during a harsh baptism in Scotland as an amateur at the St Andrews Links Trophy more than a decade ago.

"It was really windy and I shot an 89 on the Old Course," said Molinari with a reflective chuckle. "But I did birdie the last. That was a big relief. I remember the putt to break 90. I gave a big fist pump. So that was my first experience and that round will stay in my memory for a long time. I was probably 18 at the time and I'd never played on a links course before. The wind was blowing maybe 30 to 40 miles per hour and I'm hitting driver, two-iron down the first. Somehow I enjoyed myself. I just saw a kind of golf that I had not seen before."

With victories in the 2006 Italian Open, the 2010 WGC-HSBC Champions event and this season's Spanish Open, Molinari, who was a Ryder Cup winner at Celtic Manor two years ago, has established himself as one of the main forces on the European circuit.

A victory in Scotland has eluded him so far, although he has been close. During the summer of 2010, Molinari finished third in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and fourth in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond. And on both those occasions, he played in the final group on the closing day with his brother, Edoardo, who would go on to win those titles.

Molinari's card illustrated just what was possible on a potentially profitable day which was awash with birdies. There was even a hole-in-one, by Englishman Andrew Johnston, on the 11th, but there were a fair few casualties too as the under-siege links made the odd counter blow. Edouard Dubois had a crippling nine on the seventh, Gary Boyd took eight up the 12th and there were a whole host of not so magnificent sevens.

Ernie Els, the former Open champion and a two-time winner of the Scottish Open, was included in that number as he posted an eventful 70. His double-bogey seven arrived on the sixth, where he took four to extricate himself from the greenside bunker.

"I was doing some bunker practice there for the Open," he said with a wry smile. It could have been worse. An armchair anorak, watching on TV, contacted the Tour to suggest an infringement by Els as he thrashed about in the sand. The footage was reviewed by a referee but it came to nothing. "That would've been a world record," Els added. "Next to the green, 10 feet from the hole, add two and I make nine? Seven is bad enough."

There was a more encouraging seven for Luke Donald – the number of birdies the defending champion made in an opening 67 – but the shine was taken off his round with a late slip. The world No.1, who teed off on the 10th, had birdied four holes in a row at the start of his back nine but the menacing advances were halted by leaked shots at the fifth and eighth.

"The fifth really stopped the momentum," said Donald, after his first competitive round in three weeks. "Seven birdies means I'm doing a lot of things right. Having been away for three weeks, it was encouraging to find some form early on."