Seve struggles as Clarke shoots opening 64

SEVE BALLESTEROS admitted that nerves got the better of him yesterday at the start of his first European Tour event for almost two years.

The 48-year-old scored a six-over-par 77 in the first round of the Madrid Open. It left him close to last place and a massive 14 shots adrift of pacesetters Mark Roe and Robert Karlsson.

“The problem was the first three holes. I didn’t feel comfortable and was a bit tense,” said Ballesteros, returning on the same Club de Campo course where he had his last win 10 years ago.

“Everything was fine until I walked onto the first tee and started to get a bit tight.”

But he is determined to continue his comeback. “This is the beginning - the beginning of a new era for me,” he added.

Those who would rather he did quit might consider it the beginning of a new error as well as a new era, but there was some cause for optimism in the way he recovered from a back nine 41 to play the outward half in level par.

“The positive is that I hit some good shots, but the start really made the rest of the day difficult.

“Just to come back is fantastic. The back is fine and tomorrow I hope to have a better start and score well.”

Darren Clarke had a best-of-the-year 64 to be only one behind Roe and Karlsson, but Colin Montgomerie - closing in on an eighth Order of Merit title after finishing first and third the last two weeks - was battling jetlag and managed only a 72.

Roe celebrated his 500th tour event last week by lifting himself out of the “relegation zone” with a fourth place finish in Tenerife.

Now, up from 117th to 107th on the money list, he equalled the lowest round of his 24-year career.

Karlsson, who also had eight birdies, has climbed from 116th to 38th on the Order of Merit this year.

Clarke was originally due to be in Las Vegas this week, but pulled out of that and last week’s American Express world championship in San Francisco because of his wife’s health. She has been battling cancer all year.

“I wanted to play somewhere and got an invite here,” said the Ulsterman. “I got away with a couple of poor shots and my short game was sharp.”

Clarke finished the day joint third with France’s Raphael Jacquelin.