Irish Open first round: Green gleams on the Emerald Isle
David Howell moved into the lead at the first round of the 3 Irish Open today, easing in front of previous clubhouse leaders Australia's Richard Green by a stroke.
Englishman Howell finished on seven-under-par 64 to top the leaderboard, having shot five birdies and an eagle on the 16th on a flawless round.
The left-handed Green came home six-under-par 65, having carded seven birdies and a lone bogey on the 9th giving the 39-year-old an ideal beginning at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club as he seeks to claim his third European Tour title, with key birdies on the 16th and 18th enabling Green to break free from the pursuing pack.
Admitting the course in Co Kerry fitted his game well, Green said: "I thought this is a nice old golf course for a change that's a little bit old school. I felt very comfortable out there. I played very nicely today."
"I'm not known as one of the longer hitters out on Tour, and when you get a golf course that feels like the sort of golf course that I grew up on, length wise, putting surfaces, it's nice."
Former Open winner Paul Lawrie had also been six-under with just one hole to play, but a bogey on the 18th saw him slip back into third place on five-under. Siem carded a flawless five birdies, three of them on the last four holes, to tie with Lawrie. Gonnet bogeyed the 2nd, but recovered with a blistering run of four birdies on the last four holes.
Ryder Cup vice captain Darren Clarke has already stated his intention to step down from his position as vice captain should he qualify to play for the European Ryder Cup team, and the 41-year-old would appear to be capable of challenging for a place after this error-free performance, which saw him finish a stroke ahead of his playing partner, the brilliant young Rory McIlroy.
Not that McIlroy had a poor round, though he currently finds himself tied for eighth place on four-under-par 67. The 21-year-old managed eight birdies, but a cluster of four bogeys between the 8th and 13th scuppered his bid to top the leaderboard.
Another Ryder Cup vice captain, Irishman Paul McGinley, made an encouraging start, three-under for the round after eagling the five par 7th. Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington are both one-under after eight holes, while Italy's Matteo Manassero recovered slightly after a terrible start, the 17-year-old treble bogeying the 1st hole hitting a double bogey on the 7th but finishing one-over in the end after picking up four birdies.
Last year's winner, Ireland's Shane Lowry is currently one-over after eight holes, while England's Justin Rose is presumably looking forward to getting back to the USA; twice a winner already on the PGA Tour this year, he slumped to three-over-par with three bogeys and a double on the 8th to lie in 113th place on the leaderboard. Which if nothing else, shows that even Roses seemingly in full bloom can have a thorny time of it.
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