Ryder Cup vice-captains find their form in County Donegal, while McIlroy struggles on the greens and Rahm stumbles to a 74.
Friday 6 July 2018 17:14, UK
Veteran duo Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood both enjoyed excellent starts to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open as they ended the first round just one shot off the lead.
Westwood and Englishman Ashley Chesters were the only two players to return bogey-free cards in bright and breezy conditions at Ballyliffin, with both firing four-under 68s along with five others including Harrington and 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett.
Ryan Fox, the son of All Blacks rugby legend Grant Fox, led the way on five under, while tournament host Rory McIlroy again struggled on the greens in his 70 while defending champion Jon Rahm has plenty of ground to make up after stumbling to a 74 which included back-to-back double-bogeys.
Fox made five birdies and dropped just a single shot at the tough 15th, while Harrington got his round going with a superb chip-in for eagle at the 17th - his eighth - and then picked up three shots in four holes on the front nine.
Harrington had a point to prove to the local bookies after seeing he had been on offer at odds of 66/1 pre-tournament, which he felt was "surprising" on a links course in his homeland.
"There's not often there's value in my game," the 46-year-old said afterwards. "The bookies in Ireland would make sure they cut you to a low price knowing that sentimental people would back you.
"I was surprised, and the bookies don't normally get it wrong but to put me out there at 66/1 on a links golf course was strange on their part, in my home country. My performances always go up when it comes to a links course. But, maybe that says I'm even worse than I thought!"
Chesters birdied the same three holes as Harrington on the outward half and added one more at the 16th while keeping blemishes off his card, while English journeyman Robert Rock got to six under before later bogeys at 15 and 16 dropped him into the share of second.
Rock had raced out of the blocks with birdies at three of the first four holes, and further gains at nine, 11 and 13 lifted him into the outright lead before his momentum faltered late in his round.
French pair Mattieu Pavon and Adrien Saddier also handed in 68s before Westwood and Willett joined the logjam, with Westwood picking up two birdies on each half and avoiding trouble over 18 solid holes at the Glashedy Links.
Asked what pleased him most about his round, Westwood, 45, said: "It's bogey-free and I played solidly. I gave myself a lot of good chances and I was never in too much trouble, didn't miss too many fairways, which is key around here. You can get some real jumpy lies just off the fairway, but I controlled my ball flight well.
"When I saw the course on Tuesday afternoon and played the Pro-Am, I thought I would like this golf course. It's a good, honest, solid test and very fair. It's one of the best links golf courses I've seen in quite some time."
Willett was the final player to get into the clubhouse on four under after he recovered well from an early bogey at the third, while McIlroy had to be content with a 70 in which he was in sparkling form from tee to green but was often unable to back it up with the putter.
The tournament host birdied two of the par-fives, converted a short putt for birdie at the seventh and rolled in his best effort of the day at the 12th, although mistakes at the fifth and 15th left him three off the lead as he headed to the practice putting green to work on his stroke.
Rahm has his work cut out to emulate last year's stunning six-shot win at Portstewart as he suffered a mid-round blip, carding sixes and the 18th and first holes to slip to three over before settling himself with a solid run of pars either side of a welcome birdie at the fourth.
