A chiropractor, a putting guru and his own business manager were given the credit as David Park shot a 64 in yesterday's Cannes Open first round.

The lanky Welshman had launched his professional career in spectacular fashion by winning on his second tour outing in the 1999 European Grand Prix, one week after losing a play-off on his debut in the Morocco Open.

But after winning World Cup honours that year and earning more than £360,000 sterling in his first two seasons, the 28-year-old Park's career went into freefall. After 13 missed halfway cuts this summer he started yesterday on the French Riviera in 142nd place on the money list and in dire danger of losing his Tour card.

"What hit me was suffering a pinched disc in my lower back during the second round of this year's British Masters. I played on in the last two rounds when I shouldn't have done and ended up having to take a month off," he explained.

He trails by two from the 32-year-old Australian Lucas Parsons, whose 62 would have equalled the Cannes-Mougins course record had players not been allowed to pick and place their balls on the soggy fairways.

Parsons had 10 birdies by capitalising on strokes of good fortune at the first, where his ball ricocheted back into play off a cart path, and at the 18th where he received a free drop away from the clubhouse wall.

The Nottingham-born Andrew Marshall, fourth in the Challenge Tour order of merit, celebrated his chance to step up a league with a 65. Ireland's David Higgins and Paddy Gribben had first round scores of 70 and 71 respectively while Eamonn Darcy struggled with a 76.