New Zealand’s Danny Lee has started strongly in the Irish Open at Killarney, his first-round 67 leaving him three shots off the pace.
Englishman David Howell’s seven-under 64 topped the leaderboard, with Australian Richard Green and Ireland’s Damien McGrane one stroke behind.
Lee racked up four birdies easing through the first nine four under, and continued strongly with only a bogey at the 11th marring his scorecard until a double bogey at the 18th.
He shares 13th place with 11 others, including young Irishman Rory McIlroy, the world No 8.
Fellow Kiwis Mark Brown and Michael Campbell finished up sharing 82nd place, Brown having an up-and-down first round including three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey to end up with a one-over 72, and Campbell also shooting 72.
Howell showed a long-overdue return to form.
The 35-year-old former Ryder Cup player has slumped to 479th in the world after a high of ninth in 2006 when he won the PGA Championship. In the past year, he’s considered retirement after working as a TV commentator during Major tournaments for which he hadn’t qualified as a player.
However, he managed five birdies and an eagle at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club yesterday.
“I never wanted to give up,” said Howell. “But if I carried on playing as I did last year I wouldn’t have a career to be worried about anyway.”
Howell had arrived in Ireland with 10 missed cuts on his 2010 record and no finish higher than his 14th at the Open de Espana in April.
But if he felt a stranger being back at the top of the leaderboard, the players sharing second place both felt they were in familiar surroundings.
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McGrane, with only one European win in his career, could have been overawed when the draw paired him with two recent Irish major winners.
But US Open champion Graeme McDowell only shot a 1-under 71 and Padraig Harrington a 78, while McGrane managed five birdies in a bogey-free 66.
For a while McGrane and Green were joined at six under by England’s Robert Rock, later disqualified for transposing two scores in his 65.
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