A four-under 68 sees Liam Grehan placed in the top 10 after day one at the DP World Tour First Qualifying Stage event at Denmark’s Royal Oak Golf Club, with Conor O’Rourke and Hugh Foley not far behind.
Starting the tournament on the tenth, K Club man Grehan birdied four of his opening nine holes, including back-to-back red numbers on 17 and 18. He’d drop a shot on the third, but immediately got the shot back on the next and parred his way home to sign for a 68 that leaves him in a tie for ninth at the end of the opening round.
Two further back are fellow K Club man Conor O’Rourke and Royal Dublin amateur Hugh Foley. O’Rourke birdied the fourth to move into red figures, but a double-bogey seven on the ninth undid the early good work. One-over as he stood on the 15th tee, he’d reel off three birdies in succession to put an entirely different slant on the day. Foley, who started on the back, also ended his round in style, making back-to-back birdies on his final two holes having traded two birdies and two bogeys previously to join O’Rourke at -2 and in a tie for 29th.
Hermitage’s Rowan Lester began with 13 straight pars before dropping shots at 14 and 17, but also finished with a birdie to remain in the hunt though with work to do if he’s going to challenge for a pass to the next stage.
After a seven-over 79, Darren McHale is unlikely to make the 36-hole cut, with a further cut coming after 54 holes of the 72-hole event.
German Anton Albers leads at -8, with a three-way tie for second currently at -6.
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