Bermuda's golfers made a less than impressive start to their Copa de las Americas campaign in Argentina yesterday, struggling to 42-over par in the first round.

The team of Jarryd Dillas, Nick Jones, Ebonie Burgess and Laura Robinson lie tenth out of 11 teams, just one stroke ahead of bottom country Guatemala.

Of the four, only Dillas had anything approaching a good day, firing a four-over 76 as he and Jones (nine-over), shot a combined 13-over, 157, to lie 13 out of 15 teams in the men's competition.

Jones actually began the better of the two. Starting on the back nine he birdied the par-four tenth, but then dropped back to level par with a bogey on 12, and hit the turn at two-over after a double-bogey at the par-four 16.

His back nine was even worse. He suffered five bogeys in seven holes, and finished with another double-bogey at nine.

Dillas in contrast fought his way back from a miserable first nine holes which included two double-bogeys, to rattle off three birdies after the turn to rescue a round that at one stage looked like collapsing completely.

Burgess (17-over) and Robinson (16-over), meanwhile, shot a combined 33-over par and are bottom of the women's competition, four shots adrift of Guatemala duo Lucia Polo (11-over) and Beatriz de Arenas (18-over).

The second round will be held today.