A STUNNING start was thrown away by York’s Simon Dyson in the opening round of the Spanish Open.

The 33-year-old bagged a blistering eagle three on the second at the Real Golf de El Prat course just outside Barcelona.

But that proved a false dawn. Three holes later, the world number 84 double-bogeyed a par-four to set the trend for the outward nine.

As soon as he got a shot back with a birdie on the seventh, it was dropped on the next hole.

The inward nine proved even more of a calamity however.

Dyson dropped no fewer than four shots, including a second double-bogey, this time on the par-three 13th. A lone birdie on the 12th was a mere consolation as Dyson finished with a three-over 75, eight shots shy of three players sharing the lead on five-under-par.

Harrogate GC’s John Parry posted a steady level-par 72 to leave him in joint 44th position going into today’s second round.