Tom McKibbin, Mark Power and John Murphy enjoyed solid if not spectacular starts to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship while Pádraig Harrington suffered a closing hole double bogey in Carnoustie.
Making just his third professional start since entering the paid ranks last month, Kilkenny star Power carded a two-under 70 at St Andrews.
The 23-year-old roared to the turn with three birdies in four holes and while he wasn’t able to capitalise on it with a back nine charge similar to the one that completed his amateur career at the Walker Cup on the Old Course he was pleased with how he played.
“There were nice birdies on the front nine but you still had to work for them but overall a little disappointed with the score as it could have been a little better.
“I played with Dean Burmester today and told me he’s been coming here to St. Andrews for 15 years, and he never grows old in learning something new about the Old Course.
“It’s just so special while we got a bit of a taste of the Scottish weather out there today but that’s all part of dealing with the learning process here at St. Andrews.”
Alongside Power is Porsche European Open champion Tom McKibbin who also carded a round of 70 but in Kingsbarns
Kinsale star John Murphy is a shot further back after a respectable 71 in Carnoustie, where Harrington was also in action.
Returning to the site of his first Open Championship win, the 18th hole finally bit back after letting him away with murder sixteen years earlier. After a solid 17 holes of two birdies and one bogey, the Dubliner’s approach to the final hole missed the green left and trickled the wrong side of the spectator fence and out of bounds, costing him a closing six and a one-over 73.
The bulk of the low scores came at the Old Course with Sebastian Soderberg and LIV golfer Peter Uihlein sharing the lead on eight-under after rounds of 64 at the Home of Golf alongside Adrian Arnaus who tamed Carnoustie with a sublime 64 and a back nine of 31.
Ten of the top-22 players took advantage of the benign conditions in St Andrews including European Ryder Cup vice-captain Nicolas Colsaerts.
Billy Horschel and defending champion Ryan Fox are seven-under and six-under respectively after flying starts in Carnoustie.
The Kiwi won with a total of 15 under in 2022, carding rounds of 66 and 68 over the Old Course at St Andrews and a 65 at Kingsbarns.
His second-round 74 at Carnoustie – a course renowned for its difficulty – was his highest of the week by six strokes last year but he beat that by eight on day one in 2023.
He dropped just one shot, with a run of four birdies in a row from the 14th, including a chip-in at the 16th, catapulting him to six under, and he was delighted to get the better of a layout that has earned the nickname ‘Carnasty’.
“This is kind of a course I’ve not really figured out too much before,” he said. “I think it’s probably the hardest of the three and if you get around here a couple under par, you feel like you’ve done not too much damage.
“I played great most of the day. Front nine I probably could have been a couple of shots better quite easily but sort of made that up on the back.
“I birdied a couple of those tough holes: 16, 17, I figure are a nice bonus. You don’t expect to play those holes in a couple under.
“I’m really chuffed with the start. Obviously some of the trickiest conditions out there as well, through the rain, and it’s not normally my strong point either. So pretty happy with how I handled all of that.
“Certainly would have taken a 66 at the start of the day.
“I can definitely take a lot from it and looking at the weather forecast, looks like we might get beaten up the next couple of days but nice to get a good score in today to give yourself a little bit of a buffer with what’s coming.”
Scoring HERE
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