WORCESTERSHIRE golf ace John Bickerton was well down the field after the first round of the Volvo Masters in Valderrama, Spain.

The Droitwich player carded a four-over-par 75 for a share of 46th place, 12 shots adrift of leader Angel Cabrera.

A double-bogey six on the 14th hole wrecked his hopes of moving further up the leaderboard.

Padraig Harrington, hoping to pip Retief Goosen to the Order of Merit title, began badly with a 74, which included a two-stroke penalty on the first green, and went on to do himself more damage with a bad double bogey seven on the long 17th.

Goosen was one shot ahead of him, but both were put into the shade by Cabrera's magnificent 63.