In a field of 144, six of the nine Irish competing finished round one inside the top 64 in the Boys’ Amateur Championship at Glasgow Gailes Links with Adam Fahey leading the charge.
The 18-year-old Portmarnock youth, who finished runner-up to Paul Coughlan in the Munster Strokeplay Championship made six birdies – three on each side – with three bogeys to post a three-under 68 that leaves him tied for eighth.
In last year’s staging at County Louth, Fahey was the leading Irish qualifier after 36 holes and won his round of 64 tie comfortably before losing out on the 19th in the round of 32.
Galgorm Castle’s Harris Fleming is one shot behind Fahey and sharing 14th. The 17-year-old, who won the Ulster U18 Boys’ Championship at Kilkeel in June, found himself three-under through 16 but despite dropping a shot on 17, he’s well on course to qualify for the knockout stage.
Tadhg Murphy of Millicent, at one-under, is the only other Irish boy in red figures, while Glasson’s Isaac Oliver, John Moran of Portmarnock and Clandeboye’s Harry O’Hara all lie tied for 36th at level-par.
Ballyhaunis’ John William Burke is just one shot outside the qualification mark at +2 and tied for 72nd, while Patrick Martin of Carrick-on-Shannon has a further three shots to make up at +5 and Dun Laoghaire’s Finn Jolly at +8 needs to produce something special to find himself with a Wednesday tee time.
Englishman Frankie Morton was the most impressive performer on day one and an eight-birdie haul resulted in a seven-under 64 that gives him a two-stroke lead over Spain’s Gonzalo Baños Ramos and Daniil Sokolov of Qatar.
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