Graham Masters conditions

MASSEREENE assistant Neil Graham showed a clean pair of heels to many of the seasoned professionals as he topped the leaderboard after the first qualifying round for the PGA Irish Region Championship at St Margaret's.

Graham leads the 24 qualifiers into the competition proper after carding a level par 73 in tricky conditions at the north Dublin club. He had just one stroke to spare over Belvoir Park assistant Peter Martin and Donal Gleeson from Elm Park.

The Massereene man opened with back-to-back birdies, rolling in a 30-footer for a three at the first hole and a 20-footer at the short second after a wedge off the tee. He lost a ball at the fourth hole and ran up triple bogey seven, missed the green at the eighth for bogey six and three-stabbed the ninth for a five to turn three over (39).