DROITWICH'S John Bickerton refused to blame big-stage nerves for a nightmare start that blotted his card at Hoylake yesterday.

Bickerton recovered from a back-to-back bogey start to finish strongly, picking up three shots in the final three holes to card a level-par 72.

He sits six shots back from leader Graeme McDowell, whose flawless six-under par 66 set the first round standard.

"Maybe it was nerves but I've been around long enough and I can't really blame that," said Bickerton, who is competing at his sixth Open Championship.

"It was just bad golf -- and there are no excuses for that. I got myself into good positions on both holes but my iron shots let me down.

"I quickly settled down and put that bad start out of my mind and that wouldn't have been so easy in the past.

"I was three over at one stage so I would have definitely taken par at the end of the day. To get it back in those last few holes was a great feeling.

"It isn't going to get any easier from here and when you are not striking the ball out of the middle of the club, like I have been doing, it's just frustrating."

Bickerton also claimed the sharp showers that greeted the early starters probably made the course easier to play. By the time he teed-up the leaden skies were bright blue and the fairways and greens were running at lightning pace.

"The best scoring conditions were early on, although Graeme teed-off later and obviously he's leading," he added.

"The rain took the edge of the course but it didn't really have any benefit for me.

"I'm a little disappointed that I didn't dominate the par fives -- that's where you need to be scoring on this golf course."

Northern Ireland 26-year-old McDowell, playing just his third Open and eighth major, included among his birdies a holed bunker shot at the short ninth. It gave him an outward 32 and he then picked up further shots at the next two and the long 16th.

England's Greg Owen and Anthony Wall recorded five-under-par opening rounds of 67.

Owen, who birdied four of the last six holes, was not sure of being part of the action until the 36-hole American qualifier three weeks ago was called off because of torrential rain in Washington.