Edfors keeps the ball rolling

Sweden’s Johan Edfors carried on where he left off last week when the delayed Nissan Irish Open resumed today.

Edfors won the British Masters at The Belfry on Sunday to lift himself into contention for a place in the Ryder Cup team this September.

And the Malaga-based 30-year-old continued his excellent form at Carton House this morning to move into the outright lead as the first round finally moved towards completion.

Edfors had played eight holes of his round when play was called off at 9pm yesterday following a six-hour delay due to high winds, and was among the 78 players back at 7.30am this morning to resume play.

A par on the ninth took him to the turn in one under par, but he then birdied the 10th and holed a 25-yard bunker shot on the short par-four 13th for eagle.

That took Edfors to four under par and one shot ahead of fellow Swede Niclas Fasth, who was three under after 12 holes.

The clubhouse target had been set yesterday by Yorkshire’s Iain Pyman, who birdied three of his last four holes to card a two-under-par 70.

England’s Ian Poulter and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington were a shot behind after rounds of 71 also compiled in the worst of the weather.

US Open champion Michael Campbell was level par after 13 holes while Darren Clarke was two over with six to play.

Edfors extended his lead to two shots with a birdie on the 15th but then bogeyed the 17th to drop back to four under.

Fasth, also in contention for a Ryder Cup place following his Spanish Open victory in April, remained three under with three to play while Campbell – four weeks short of his US Open defence – had slipped to one over.

The players were set to get around 30 minutes break after completing their first rounds before heading back out for round two.