SAM TORRANCE crashed to an 81, but 69 players broke par in the opening round of the Portuguese Open at Aroeira yesterday, among them Jose-Maria Olazabal, to promise a feast of low scoring in Lisbon this week.

The Spaniard continued his heart-warming comeback with a two-under-par 70 after Australian Peter O'Malley had established himself as pacemaker with a 65 for a one stroke advantage over Swedish newcomer Max Anglert.

Darren Clarke was the leading Irishman, also on 70, followed by David Higgins, with Paul McGinley on 72.

Olazabal was subsequently presented with the Johnnie Walker Golfer of the Month award for February, recognising the quality of his play on his first appearance for 18 months in the Dubai Desert Classic. He said: "Everything is going according to plan, and I am looking forward to the day when I can walk on the course without thin, king about my feet."

Bookmakers have made him favourite to collect this week's £58,500 top prize, and although he laughed at the news, describing them as "insane", it would be foolish to wager against him. He is looking more solid than ever, and when his short game regains its full sharpness he will be extremely difficult to beat.

Clarke was also in happy mood, describing his two-under-par outing as the best he has compiled this year, although he bettered it by one in the second round of the Heineken Classic in Perth, and by two in the Dimension Data ProAm in Sun City.

"I could have got away to a very fast start because I was all over the flag for the first nine holes," he said. Clarke started at the 10th and missed birdie chances under, six feet on the first three greens, before hitting a nine-iron tee-shot a yard from the hole at the 14th for the first of his four birdies.

He promptly opened his shoulders to reach the long 15th, two putting from 30 feet to go further below the card. But he was in trees from the tee at the 17th, and, after turning in 35, had to wait until the fifth for his next success. There he wedged to eight feet and followed with another birdie three at the next by holing from 10 feet.

Three under with a par five to, finish should have been the signal for the Ulsterman to join the group in third place, but again he faltered at the penultimate hole of, the section.

His three-iron at the short eighth missed its target, and when his return chip pulled up too swiftly on the softer green, he was unable to rescue par. Nevertheless, it was a solid start to what he hopes will be another happy Lisbon story. He was runner-up here two years ago.

Waterville's Higgins was also pleased with himself after his opening 71, the 10th time he has beaten par in 19 rounds this season. He owed it to his patience and a late birdie hat-trick which brought him home in 33, after he had dropped strokes at the third and fifth, firstly from a wayward drive, and then as a result of three putts.

"I didn't panic and just waited for things to happen," said the 24-year-old. "Considering the difficulty of the course it was a very good round."

Higgins wedged within an inch of the 15th flag to spark his birdie salvo, got down from five feet at the short 16th, then wedged to six feet at the 17th.

McGinley played with Ryder Cup captain Seve Ballesteros (73), and edged past him by birdieing, the last two holes to redeem some indifferent play in mid-round, when he was fortunate to lose only one shot, at the long 10th.

Padraig Harrington gave a subdued performance after starting, scrappily from the 10th with two bogeys. Despite birdies at the 15th and 18th he took 37 to the turn, and could make no further improvements on the inward half.

Ronan Rafferty also shot 73 and, like Harrington, will need to improve today to remain at the weekend.

Des Smyth, who was the leading, Irishman at Aroiera last year, opened with 75, as did Eamonn Darcy. In both cases the former Ryder Cup players struggled on the greens. Smyth birdied the first by wedging close, but that was his only success. "It was a bad day at the office and it was downhill all the way after my first putt," he remarked.

Darcy began at the 10th and was clearly out of harmony with his putter. He missed a "tiddler" at the 11th, three-putted the next green, and took two shots to get out of a bunker at the 13th. Four over after only four holes, his humour was not improved by having to wait 40 minutes to start his second nine holes because of congestion at the turn.

"A field of 156 is too large at, this time of the year," he remarked "especially with two-tee starting in operation."

Torrance has made such a poor start to the season that he has earned only one small cheque to date, and looks doomed to his third failure in four starts. He did not make a single birdie, and said: "Every time 1 miss a green I take three to get down. It's my chipping. It is dreadful, but there is no need to panic - yet."