Murphy on course after opening 66

KILKENNY’S Gary Murphy needs to win the £1m Mallorca Classic at Pula to ensure qualification for next week’s season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama.

And he certainly went about it in the right way yesterday when he shot a splendid four under par 66 in the opening round over the tricky island course to stand one off the pace being set by the Englishman Jonathan Lomas after the first round.

“It wasn’t a day for the salad dodgers,” commented Murphy, who isn’t one of the fittest members of the European Tour. As he pointed out, it was extremely humid in Majorca!