Playing six shots left-handed, not even hitting the ball with the first five of them, and taking 10 on one hole was not quite what Sandy Lyle had in mind for his return to the Volvo Masters at Valderrama today.

Invited to take part as a past champion in the European Tour's season-ending tournament, Lyle negotiated the first four holes in level par, but then came to grief on the 381-yard next.

The 49-year-old Scot, whose last victory came in the event 15 years ago when he beat Colin Montgomerie in a play-off, pulled his drive right up against one of the many cork trees on the Costa del Sol course.

Lyle decided his best option was to try to knock the ball back onto the fairway left-handed — and when unsuccessful with his first attempt tried again. And again and again and again without making contact.

Eventually the former Open and Masters champion moved it a few feet, walked off the green with a sextuple bogey and when he then went into the lake from the bunker over the 17th green a triple bogey eight went on his card as well.

After signing for a 13 over par 84 — one worse than 1989 winner Ronan Rafferty, who was playing his first European Tour event for four years, Lyle sighed: "What a way to start the week. I felt good about it after finishing fifth in Morocco last week, but I decided to be a complete pain in the arse and show I could play it left-handed.

"Five whiffs. I've never done that before."

Rafferty was actually one under after chipping in at the short third, but took seven on the 515-yard next and later ran up a quadruple bogey eight at the 13th, going from the trees on the left to those on the right.

"I play for fun twice a month and this is far too difficult for my level of play," admitted the Co Down man. "It's even tougher than I remember and even for the guys who play every week you will see how difficult it is. I'm glad I came, though, and I'll try my best to play all 72 holes. Some of it will be shocking and some if it will be OK.

"My goal was nine pars and a birdie each day." He managed two birdies and seven pars.

The early leader in the windy conditions, meanwhile, was Graeme McDowell, who with six to play stood three under.

That put him one ahead of England's Ross Fisher, Indian Jyoti Randhawa and Dubliner Paul McGinley, who holed his 155-yard nine-iron to the 16th for an eagle two. McGinley is another of the four players who owed their place in the 55-strong field to lifting the title in the past.

He won the event only two years ago, but fell back to 74th in this season's Order of Merit. The top 60 on the money list qualified automatically, although with the rival attraction of the Singapore Open only 51 of them had showed up.

They were sent out in reverse money list order, meaning that Padraig Harrington and Justin Rose were the last two to tee off.

With table-topping Ernie Els among those in the Far East, Harrington and Rose, in second and third place, both needed a top three finish to go past the South African.

The difference between them, however, meant that Rose also had to make sure he was ahead of Harrington, while the Open champion had to be on level terms with Rose.

Swedes Henrik Stenson and Niclas Fasth also had a chance to finish the year as European number one, but had to win the tournament to do that.