NICK Dougherty’s miserable 2011 season hit another new low yesterday as he finished bottom of the leaderboard after the opening round of the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama.

The 29-year-old Shaw Hill professional has seen his world ranking nosedive outside of the top 800 after a torrid year which included a staggering 21 successive missed cuts.

Now, the former QEGS student will almost certainly not see any more action at Valderrama beyond today after carding a woeful 13-over-par 84 in his first round, 19 shots off the leader Richie Ramsey.

Seven bogeys, plus two double-bogeys and a triple-bogey left him at the bottom of the pile.

A three-time winner on the PGA European Tour, Dougherty had not picked up a single penny in prize money until he finished tied 45th at the European Masters.

He then saw a slight return to form at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, when lifting the team title alongside radio personality Chris Evans.

But the Chorley star has hit another bad patch with six straight missed cuts ahead of this week’s tournament in Spain.

Scotland’s Ramsay led the way yesterday, with an excellent six-under-par 65, with England’s Ross Fisher two shots behind the leader.