SOTOGRAND, Spain, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Angel Cabrera's superb finish and Padraig Harrington's forgettable start highlighted the first round of the Volvo Masters Thursday.
Seeking his second win of the season, Cabrera birdied the final four holes at the Valderrama Golf Club to fire an 8-under 63 and build a four-shot lead over Phillip Price of Wales at the European PGA Tour's final event of the year.
Cabrera was within a stroke of matching Bernhard Langer's course record. He birdied two of the first five holes and six of the final nine.
"I started well and everything went perfectly after that," the Argentine said. "I didn't know that 62 was the course record. My only aim was to finish as well as I started and that's what happened."
Harrington finished with one of his four birdies, but he also had two double-bogeys and a bogey en route to a 3-over 74. Trying to chase down Retief Goosen for the Order of Merit title, the Irishman double-bogeyed the first hole after taking a penalty.
The eighth-ranked player in the world, Harrington repaired a pitch mark on the fringe of the green while his ball was still on the putting surface. After committing the infraction, he confirmed it with an official and was punished two strokes.
"These things happen," he said. "I just walked up and fixed the pitch mark, which looked like it was on the green because of the shade. As I was digging, there seemed to be a little more grass than you would expect and a bell went off in my head.
"I knew the rule, and obviously it was a two-shot penalty. Nobody saw, but I knew straight away."
Harrington entered the week 14,538 British pounds behind Goosen for the Order of Merit lead. Goosen, the fourth-ranked player in the world, opened with a 73.
Price was alone in second after posting a 67, one stroke better than a group of five players that includes Steen Tinning of Denmark.
