Murphy best of Irish quartet following first round 73

GARY MURPHY, the 30 years-old Kilkenny man, leads the Irish quartet after the first round of the Open Championship.

Even though buffeted by winds that gusted up to 35 miles per hour, Murphy brought in a very creditable 73, two over par, to confirm the highly impressive form he showed at the week-end when he finished 4th in the Scottish Open to pick up just under 160,000 and clinch his European Tour card for next year.

If anything, Paul McGinley was treated even more harshly by the weather and could do no better than 77.