JOHN BICKERTON didn't tame the beast of Carnoustie - but at least he survived to tell the tale.

Horizontal rain and overcast skies greeted Bickerton's arrival on the first tee and it clearly threw the Droitwich player off his game.

He produced scrappy bogeys at the second and third to leave his Open card in the red - a position from which he never recovered.

He finished with a four-over par 75 that left him well adrift of the early first round leaders - a score not helped by a dropped shot on the 18th.

"It was a bad start and a tough finish but there's not many players who are going to have a lot of joy at the 18th this week," he admitted.

"But there was some good stuff and had I holed a couple more putts I might have been looking at a 72 or 73, which I would happily have taken.

"I just never really got going and you always get punished for your loose shots on courses like this. But I remained patient and didn't try and play any silly shots, which would have cost me.

"I had terrible rain and windy conditions to cope with and I hope everybody else gets them as well."

Bickerton has endured a run of poor form in recent weeks, meaning he arrived in Scotland with morale low.

But the former French Open champion was trying to be positive - with birdies on the par four fourth and par three eighth helping his flagging confidence.

"At least I'm creating chances again," he added.

"I putted well, which I've not done for a long time, but didn't get the breaks I really deserved. Fingers crossed, I can shoot a score and get myself in with a chance of making the cut.

"I just want the other players to have the conditions the early starters had. The weather is going to play a major part here for the rest of the week."

Bickerton insisted he had no problems with the course, famed as the toughest on the Open rota. Eight years ago players were fuming at its set-up but their concerns have been taken on-board by the Royal & Ancient.

"It's a good job the rough isn't like it was - had it been it would have been nigh on impossible to get round in under 80," he said.

"It's a fair course and you won't hear me complaining about it. I've just got to go out and concentrate on every shot now and take my chances when I get them."