51-year-old Padraig Harrington fired an opening three-under 67 at The Renaissance Club to leave himself tied for 15th at the end of day one at the Genesis Scottish Open.
Playing alongside Charley Hoffman and recent British Masters winner Daniel Hillier, the three-time major champion put in a professional performance, carding four birdies to just one bogey on a day where a brisk breeze gusted rather hard than blew.
Good birdie looks on one and two went wanting, but he’d get up-and-down from the green side rough on the par-5 third to move into red figures and doubled the tally at the short but tricky par-3 sixth, but gave a stroke back on the next after finding trouble off the tee.
Turning at -1, back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 moved him to -3, and seven successive pars on the way home saw him reach the clubhouse on that number, six strokes off the lead but just three off a share of third place.
The Dubliner was the best of the Irish in the afternoon wave, with Rory McIlroy carding a six-under 64 in the morning and Seamus Power forced to withdraw after nine holes with a hip injury that puts his Open Championship participation in doubt and puts a further dent in his chances of playing his way into the Ryder Cup.
Tom McKibbin, playing in the group behind Harrington, will be a little disappointed with his level-par 70 having made three early birdies to provisionally move into the top-10. A bogey at the eighth saw him reach the halfway point at -2, and he’d add three more birdies on the back nine, but a bogey at 11 and double bogeys at 13 and 18 saw him cover the back side in +2.
Shane Lowry is one further adrift on +1, and is in need of a good round on Friday if he’s to make the weekend, lying tied for 99th after day one. The marquee afternoon group of Lowry, world number one Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland all had their struggles, but Scheffler battled to a round of two-under whereas Lowry and Hovland both finished the wrong side of par.
The 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year made just two birdies in his 18 holes, with bogeys coming at six, 14 and 18. Among the best in the world tee-to-green all year, today it was the long game that let the Offalyman down and his putter – his nemesis for much of the season – was the saviour and kept him in with a chance of making the cut.
Korean Byeong Hun An leads the way on -9 after a course-record equalling 61. An went bogey free for the round, carding nine birdies and making just 23 putts to tie Cameron Tringale’s record, and he leads American Davis Riley by two strokes.
Riley’s 63 was the best of the afternoon starters by two strokes, and was bolstered by a five-birdie run on his opening nine which he covered in 29 strokes.
McIlroy and Thomas Detry share third on -6, with likely Ryder Cup bound Yannik Paul continuing to impress and carding a five-under for a tie for fifth alongside K.H. Lee.
“I love it,” An said after his round. “I started on The Challenge Tour playing links courses and played The Open many times. I like links golf. It’s different than the courses we play in the U.S. You just have to land it in different spots. I really like it and as long as the weather is nice, and I prefer warm weather but a links course, I feel comfortable. It can get tricky hitting shots into but I think I did well today.
“It’s great. I feel like I’m back home. This is the Tour I started my professional career. It’s been great coming back and like I said, playing links golf, definitely, it’s nice.”
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