Late bogey blemish ruins Pádraig’s round
Even though he left a 25-footer for eagle on the 10th just short, he was still four below regulation tackling the driveable par four 14th and the par five 15th. However, he failed to get up and down from just at 14 and after splashing out of a bunker at 15 to less than a yard, saw his putt for birdie lip out.
He also made a very disappointing effort for a birdie at 16 having hit a marvellous shot from the left rough to about fifteen feet. The Irishman was playing his first tournament since the Masters and at times looked quite rusty, a point well made at the treacherous, water strewn 17th where he pulled his tee shot into the lake fronting the green. He still wasn’t on the green in three and the 169 yard hole cost him a triple bogey six.
Harrington found a creek off the 18th tee, a double bogey was the inevitable outcome and a round that for so long had looked extremely promising ended in a one over par 73, eight shots behind the early pace setter, Tiger Woods.
Elsewhere, Peter Lawrie ignored threatening storm clouds to card a four under par 68 in the opening round defence of his Spanish Open title in Girona.
Lawrie jumped to a superb start with three birdies in his opening four holes with his only disappointment being a final hole bogey where his drive found thick rough leaving the Dubliner little option but to hack the ball sideways back to the fairway.
Lawrie showed little signs of tiredness after travelling to Spain from Korea to end the day trailing five strokes behind Denmark’s Soren Hansen who, despite a first hole double bogey, reeled off an eagle and nine birdies in a nine under par 63.
Frenchman Thomas Levet, with an eagle and six birdies, is in second place with an eight under par 64.
Double Major winning John Daly eagled the seventh on route to a respectable two under par 70 in his first tournament since last December’s Australian Open in Sydney.
Damien McGrane, Paul McGinley and Gary Murphy each carded rounds of 70. McGrane’s round was a mixture of five birdies and three bogeys.
“Its a good course because you have to hit it straight off the tee which I did because I only had three bogeys and one of those was at a par three fifth where I was in a bunker,” said McGrane.
“I have no complaints about a two under and it’s a score I can build on.”
McGinley commenced his round with seven 4s in succession with the seventh being one of four birdies.
Murphy’s scorecard revealed five birdies and three bogeys with two of his dropped shots on the par five.
Rookie Jonathon Caldwell produced a level par 72 but desperately needs to start earning a decent pay cheque.
The 24-year old Bangor golfer arrived in Spain having missed the cut in his last five events with his only pay cheque since earning his full European Tour card being €3,100 in securing a share of 57th in his first event last November.
And he’s broken 70 just once in 15 rounds.
Fellow Ulsterman Michael Hoey trailed the Irish contingent to be near the tail of the field after a posting a shock 77.
The recently crowned Portuguese Open champion struggled under the weight of seven bogeys.
Hoey dropped shots over his first two holes and then another two at nine and 10 before further bogeys at 16 and 17.
His only relief were birdies at the 12th and 14th holes.
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