McGinley rediscovers old form in good day for the Irish

IRELAND’S Paul McGinley and Scotland’s Gary Orr took advantage of calm early conditions to share the first round lead at the KLM Open in the Netherlands yesterday.

Both fired six-under-par 64s to be one ahead of a group which includes defending champion Darren Clarke and McGinley’s fellow Dubliner Peter Lawrie. Shane Lowry returned a 66 and with Damian McGrane and Gareth Maybin shooting 67s, it was good day for the Irish.

Among those to suffer in the strong afternoon wind, however, was Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie. Without a top 10 finish for almost 14 months, Montgomerie crashed to a six-over-par 76 that left him near the rear of a field, which does not contain a single member of the world’s top 50.