In an interesting twist on normal happenings, 11 of the 66 competitors had the effrontery to be over par while rain-sodden Montecastillo was at its most benign for the first round of £1 million Volvo Masters here yesterday. And Retief Goosen led the field with a 10-under-par 62, by way of illustrating just how good these players can be.

Padraig Harrington, who has clearly moved up a notch in world class in recent months, shot a highly acceptable 66 despite a double-bogey on the 17th. Meanwhile, a stroke further back, Darren Clarke, on 67, made an encouraging start to the defence of the title, though he felt moved to remark: "Maybe I might finish it off for a change."

His apprehension was entirely understandable against a background of missed opportunities, going back to a squandered six-stroke lead, entering the final round of the Smurfit European Open over the August Bank Holiday weekend. But Paul McGinley would have settled for a productive putting stroke after a level-par 72.

Essentially, it was a tale of four birdies, three three-putts and a three-wood tee-shot into water at the 18th. "I couldn't get the ball in the hole," said McGinley, bleakly.

In the context of such hot scoring overall, it was hardly surprising that Lee Westwood got somewhat hot under the collar en route to the same score. Indeed he was so angry about the circumstances leading up to a double-bogey seven at the long 12th that he may be fined by the tour for using an expletive which was clearly audible on television.

Westwood's problem had to do with a wayward second shot which finished in bushes. Stuck behind a clump of grass cuttings, he sought and was refused relief by rules official John Grant. So he took a hack into the cuttings, then another hack, followed by a chip and two putts.

Afterwards the player had a meeting with chief referee John Paramor. "It was in the interests of both parties," said the tour official. "The player was unhappy with the referee and the referee was equally unhappy with his own handling of the matter."

The point was that Grant, while ruling that the clump was abandoned cuttings from which there was no relief, could have informed Westwood that they constituted a movable obstruction. In the event, he did not. In fact he was summarily dismissed by the player who said: "I don't need you."

Afterwards, Westwood said: "I think if I had known the rule, I would have been two strokes better off at the end of the round. The referee could have informed me." Indeed. But a player ranked number five in the world should have known there was no onus on the official to do so: the responsibility rested with Westwood.

Either way, the golf was also interesting. Like the manner in which American Bob May transformed a round that looked to be far from promising when he stood three over par on the 12th tee. He then proceeded to reel off six successive birdies to end the day with a highly-improbable 70.

Seve Ballesteros also produced some of his old sparkle on the way to a 68 which contained six birdies, including a three at the last where he holed from six feet. "I'm hitting the driver a lot better," said the player for whom a teeshot in the fairway is almost a cause for instant celebration.

Of course it also helped that he was playing with Goosen, who is in a rich vein of form, having been runner-up to Robert Karlsson in the Belgacom Open last Sunday. It was exemplary stuff - three successive birdies to start and a birdie, eagle finish to a front nine of 29. And he continued to keep a bogey off his card in a back nine that contained three further birdies.

"I thought I had a pretty good chance of 60," he said afterwards.

Harrington could also have spoken of missed opportunities, but that's not in his nature. After completing his round with a glorious birdie at the last, he said: "That was a nice way to finish, but I won't sleep any differently tonight. Nor will I be thinking of the double-bogey at 17."

He went on: "I'm now more accepting of my ups and downs. I'm beginning to feel a lot more comfortable about my play." Coming from a notoriously self-critical player, this amounted to a remarkable admission.

He matched many of his rivals by carding five birdies in his first 15 holes. Then came a glorious eagle three at the 517-yard 16th, which he hit with a four-iron second shot of 205 yards before sinking an eight-foot putt. But he gave both shots back at the next.

On the 374-yard 17th a dangerous hole bordered by water down the right, he hit his only poor shot of the round, a pushed sandwedge which bounced off stones before reaching a watery grave. "I had plenty of club for the shot of 105 yards but I obviously didn't keep it on line," he said.

His recent form has been so impressive, however, that one almost expected him to birdie the last. And he did, hitting a three-iron off the elevated tee, followed by an eight-iron approach which carried all the way beyond the flag, situated 31 yards into the green. Indeed contact was so pure that the ball spun back about nine feet to finish about 18 inches behind the hole.

Self-doubt is not a problem for Clarke at this stage of the tournament. And given yesterday's ballstriking, he could do himself much good this weekend. "Sure, the course was playing easy, but you've still got to produce seriously good golf to produce a 62 like Retief's done," he said.

The Tyroneman was set fair after an outward 31 which contained five birdies. The errors came at the long 12th, which he three-putted for a par; the short 14th where he missed the green right and the 15th where he hit another wayward shot.

But he made handsome amends at the 16th, which he reduced to a drive, five wood and 20-foot putt for an eagle three. "I had the chance to post a really low score and I nearly did it," he said with a wry smile.