Scottish golfer Marc Warren, competing this week at the Seve Trophy in Laois, was taken to hospital last night following a bizarre accident in his hotel room.

Practising his swing last night after losing his opening match with Colin Montgomerie, last season's European Tour Rookie of the Year smashed the chandelier above his head.

The glass showering down on him cut his head, both arms and stomach.

"It (the cut on his stomach) was about a centimetre wide and looked about a centimetre deep," said Warren. "I looked in the mirror and I was covered in blood.

"I rang Bradley Dredge because I was supposed to be having dinner with him, then Monty came along and (captain) Nick Faldo called.

"A car took me to hospital, although the driver stalled three times, and I had butterfly stitches in my cuts and was dressed and covered it."

Returning to the hotel at The Heritage, Warren found he had fused the lights and had to transfer to another room.

Warren was one of Faldo's wild card picks for the match, but he and Montgomerie lost three and one to Swedes Robert Karlsson and Peter Hanson in their opening game as Britain and Ireland fell 3-2 behind.

Nobody in the crowd - not that there were very many of them again - would have guessed Warren had been in the wars by the way he started this morning.

Despite the rain and despite Montgomerie hitting a wild tee shot, Warren almost pitched in for an eagle two.  But the hole was shared in birdie threes, with Havret sinking an eight-footer.

Lead-off pair Bradley Dredge and Phillip Archer also halved the first hole with Hanson and Karlsson.