Stephen Gallacher was left severely battered and bruised by the ‘Blue Monster’ in producing his worst-ever Tour score on day one of the WGC – Cadillac Championship at Trump Doral.

Gallacher slumped to the tail of the now 73-player field posting a 12-over par 84 in bright but testy windy conditions in suburban Miami.

Sadly, it’s Gallacher’s highest round in 455 European Tour counting events since joining the Tour in 1995.

Stephen Gallacher posts his highest-ever European Tour score in 455 events at WGC – Cadillac. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)

Scotland’s highest ranked golfer birdied the first but there on it was all downhill for the current World No. 33 with bogeys at the ninth, 13th and 14th holes while Gallached doubled the seventh after sending his tee shot well left of the cart path and in the trees from where he could only hit his second 95-yards.

Gallacher also doubled the 10th when he found water off the tee and he also made a splash when his tee shot at the par three 15th was short of the green.

Then at the last Gallacher found the water on two seperate occasions down the left side of the fairway in taking a quadruple bogey ‘8’ after he was in the water with his drive and then after taking a penalty drop the Scot flew the green from 80-feet right of the pin and put his ball again into the water.

In fact, Gallacher struggled so poorly off the tee he managed to find just two fairways in regulation, at the first and 11th holes.

It also is Gallacher’s highest score in 29 nine rounds of WGC compeition and also five shots more than a pair of 75s to commence last year’s Cadillac Championship, and to his credit he regrouped to share sixth place.