Golf Volvo MastersYou figure there are times when the vagaries of golf would be enough to drive a sane man demented, but Padraig Harrington somehow found a way not only to retain his sanity but to actually use the capriciousness of the Valderrama course to his advantage in the first round of the Volvo Masters yesterday.

On a day when the wind accentuated the challenge of a course considered the toughest in continental Europe, and only four players managed to better par, a green hue developed over this part of the south of Spain with Graeme McDowell conjuring up an opening-round 68, three under, that gave him a one-shot lead over Paul McGinley.

England's Justin Rose, who had needed an intravenous drip yesterday morning to overcome the effects of a bug that left him with diarrhoea and unable to eat anything more than a couple of granola bars all day, and Peter O'Malley, of Australia, were the only other players to dip below par - both registering 70s - in a first round that saw every score from one to 10 (with the exception of a nine) recorded.

Sandy Lyle ran up a quintuple-bogey 10 on the fifth, while Gregory Havret had a similar score on the notorious 17th.

For his part, Harrington went from one early-round calamity to another before performing the sort of rescue act that would have made the legendary Red Adair proud, as he managed to get himself back into the thick of the tournament and keep alive his quest to retain the Order of Merit with an eventful level-par 71.

Harrington must have figured the gods were against him when, on the seventh green, the ball moved after he had addressed his putt. It was an automatic one-stroke penalty and, given he had incurred a double-bogey just two holes earlier when hitting his tee shot out of bounds, had three-putted the previous hole for bogey and had also seen his playing partner Rose - his chief adversary in chasing down the absent Ernie Els for the money title - record a hole-in-one on the third hole, it would have caused a lesser man to fold.

Harrington, four over after seven holes, lay six shots adrift of Rose. However, the Dubliner produced a back nine of 32 - including five birdies and a bogey - to finish just one shot behind him and tied-fifth.

"He's just played himself right back into the tournament, there's no doubt about it," said Rose, adding: "With a poor back nine, it would have been a long road back for him. But that was a great nine holes, really."

So, what was the spur for Harrington? "I think Justin helped me, there's no question about it. The fact he was three under through five holes certainly showed me it was possible to do it. If he was four over like I was four over, I think the two of us could have spiralled into oblivion and shot six or seven over and said, 'Oh well, we were unlucky being out last on the greens and in the wind'."

Harrington, in fact, birdied six of his last 11 holes. The British Open champion needs a top-three finish here, while also finishing ahead of Rose, to overhaul Els.

"I'm pleased to have battled back," said Harrington, who claimed he had kept positive thoughts despite those early set-backs. As they walked from the ninth green to the 10th tee, his caddie, Ronan Flood, reminded him, "There are 63 holes to play."

While Harrington and Rose, who hoped the ailment that had him vomiting close to the players' lounge less than an hour before his tee time was nothing more than a 24-hour bug, kept alive their Order of Merit aspirations - on a day when the Swedes Niclas Fasth and Henrik Stenson, the only others in the field with any chance, shot rounds of 75 and 76 respectively - there was further indication McDowell is rediscovering his best form.

McDowell has, he feels, learnt from his experience here a year ago, when he was also the first-round leader before falling back to eventually finish in tied-32nd.

"I know there's a lot of golf to be played over the weekend, a lot of tough work to do. I realise this golf course is going to catch up with everyone at some point, but I think I'm ready for that," said McDowell, who required just 22 putts yesterday.

"If I can just take my medicine when I get in trouble, I feel like I'm playing well enough to make enough birdies to offset any trouble I might get into.

"You know, I'm disappointed in a positive way this year because I feel like I've played some good golf and got a lot of things in place.

"I feel my game is improving and I'm building a really good team around me again.

"Things are settling down for me and I think I'm able to look forward and to see myself climb back up the world rankings (he is 135th) and to play the kind of golf I know I can play.

"I'd like to get myself back into the top 50 in the world, to get back playing with the big boys again."