CRANS MONTANA, Switzerland -- -- Teenager Rory McIlroy snapped out of a slump Thursday by shooting an 8-under 63 in the first round of the Omega European Masters on the European Tour.

The 19-year-old Northern Irishman had missed halfway cuts the last three weeks.

"You get days when you read the lines perfectly and you know every putt is going in," McIlroy said. "It was like that today."

Garry Houston (66) chipped in for a birdie on the 18th hole for a share of second place with Kyron Sullivan and Julio Zapata. A large group at 67 included defending champion Brett Rumford, who birdied the first three holes.

Miguel Angel Jimenez, the only member of the European Ryder Cup team playing in Crans, was 6 under until he bogeyed the last three holes for a 68.

McIlroy had 11 3s and just 26 putts in his round. His only bogey came at the 12th, where he drove into a bunker.

"I've been hitting the ball as well as that for the last month but I just haven't been getting anything out of it," McIlroy said. "Today I managed to hole a few putts and make a few up-and-downs when I needed to. I managed to keep it going and I had a lot of momentum and kept it going all the way around."

McIlroy's lowest round was a 61 in the Northern Ireland amateur event at Royal Portrush.

"I've only been missing cuts by one or two shots. I just feel like I've been making silly mistakes," he said. "I feel once I have a little bit of form, I won't make them."

Houston, who also missed cuts at his last three tournaments, birdied his first two holes and later added four more to go along with two bogeys.

Former U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell (69) said he is emerging from a barren 18-month spell that began at the end of 2005, the year he won his major title and the World Match Play.

"I basically took an 18-month holiday. Having won a major, I had no motivation left. I didn't want to get out of bed to turn up at a major," Campbell said. "Now I've got the hunger, the fire in my belly, again."

He had top-10 finishes the last two weeks, the first time he has put two together since early 2004.

Another teenager, 17-year-old Tadd Fujikawa of the United States, bogeyed three straight holes from the second but recovered to finish with a 73.

With his mother Lori caddying for him, Fujikawa got into his stride after a double bogey at the short 11th and finished with three birdies on the last seven holes, one coming on a 25-foot putt at the last.

"It was an awful start and I played the par 3s in 4 over. I need to work on that," said Fujikawa, who missed the cut last year.

The 63 was easily the lowest round of McIlroy's fledgling professional career, with his previous best being a 66. It was also three outside the lowest ever seen at Crans-sur-Sierre, perched 4,500 feet up in the Alps.

Back in 1971, Italian Baldovino Dassu became the first Tour player to return a 60 and in 1992 Jamie Spence equalled that to win the title from a record 10 behind on the last day.

After that, however, Seve Ballesteros controversially changed the greens and made the course much tougher. The official record for the new layout is the 62 of Eduardo Romero eight years ago.

McIlroy burst on to the circuit in sensational style last year. After being leading amateur at the British Open and then earning a Walker Cup spot, he finished third in his second pro event and then fourth just a week later.

That had many people wondering if he could become the youngest player in Ryder Cup history, but the story of his season so far has largely been one of disappointment and trying to be patient. He is 89th on the Order of Merit and has not made a cut since failing to qualify for this year's British Open.

"I've done a lot of work in the last few weeks. I've had a lot of time on my hands at weekends!" he added. "I feel like I've been hitting it really well, but the results have not shown it. The pro-am was my first ever round here and I just love how far the ball goes. It's a fun course."

In the thin air, he reduced the 598-yard 14th to a drive and 8-iron, while at the 506-yard fourth on Thursday his 8-iron flew 195 yards into the bunker over the green.

"As a kid I always played by feel -- there were no yardage books at Holywood (his home course in Northern Ireland) -- and here whatever it looks like you just go for it," he said. "There are a lot of elevation changes as well and it's whatever fits your eye."

Four birdies in the last five holes of the back nine enabled McIlroy to turn in 31, he started the outward half with another and then had three more in a row from the fifth.

He is a stablemate as well as fellow countryman of Darren Clarke and almost inevitably was asked about Nick Faldo's decision to choose Ian Poulter instead for the Ryder Cup.

"Obviously everybody is disappointed for Darren -- the way he played in Holland (in winning the recent KLM Open), he deserved it," McIlroy said. "But I can see where Nick's coming from.

"He picked the two strongest players (Paul Casey got the other wild card) ranking-wise," he explained. "Everybody's talking about who didn't get picked, but look at who's in -- it's such a strong team."

The trio in second place behind McIlroy all have a chance now to secure their cards for next season.

Houston, who earned his biggest-ever check on Tour of more than $100,000 when he was fourth in the event three years ago, lies 132nd on the money list, Sullivan 159th and Zapata 180th. Only the leading 115 are exempt for 2009.

Houston almost pulled off an amazing "underground" hole-in-one.

After grabbing birdies at the first two holes his tee shot to the 192-yard third landed just short of the cup and the ground was so soft it almost went through the turf and in. Instead it came out of the pitch mark and he only parred.

"Back in 2005 I was a rookie, so people didn't expect me to hang onto the position," he said. "Now there is my expectation."

Compatriot Bradley Dredge has finished first and third the last two years and Sullivan said: "It must be the mountain air."

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