Returning to action for the first time since holing the putt that saw Europe retain the Ryder Cup, Shane Lowry endured a difficult opening round at the Open de Espana, carding a four-over-par 75.
Lowry started the day with two bogeys and while he did pick up shots on seven and 14, four more bogeys blighted his card to leave him ten shots adrift of co-leaders leaders Sam Bairstow and Ugo Coussaud.
Englishman Bairstow had an eagle on the third and finished with consecutive birdies on his way to a 65, matched by France's Coussaud, who had two eagles in his round.
Another French player, Frederic Lacroix, Austrian Bernd Wiesberger and Marco Penge from England are a shot further back in third.
Of the other Irish players in the field, Tom McKibbin is currently out on the course, and was one over at the turn. Conor Purcell had a disastrous round of 81.
A seething Jon Rahm bemoaned the vagaries of the winds whipping around Madrid's Club de Campo after a one-over-par 72.
Even holing a bunker shot for an eagle at the par-five 14th and knocking his approach to five feet for birdie at the next on what was his front nine - failed to improve his mood as back-to-back bogeys immediately after the turn were followed by another dropped shot at the par-three ninth.
The Ryder Cup-winning Spaniard, seeking a record fourth success at his home event, could barely bring himself to speak in his post-round interview.
"Frustrating day. You couldn't ask a harder question right now. I'm so angry and I want to be so sarcastic," he told Sky Sports.
"I struggled with the wind to be honest. There were a lot of swings that came out the way I wanted to and the wind didn't affect it the way I wanted it to. I didn't feel like I played that badly and the score is not nearly where I wanted to be."
There were few highlights in Sergio Garcia's level-par round of 71 - an approach to three feet for eagle at the 14th and a 15-foot birdie putt at the last.
Additional reporting: PA
