McDowell on the pace in Jeju

Ireland’s Graeme McDowell was well placed after a four-under-par opening round in the Ballantine’s Championship at the Pinx Golf Club.

McDowell from Portrush, finished tied for fifth in the Dubai Desert Classic last month, and made three birdies and two bogeys on his opening nine holes after starting at the 10th in South Korea.

Successive birdies on the par-five fourth and the par-three fifth elevated McDowell to three under before a four on the par-five ninth helped him sign for a 68 on Jeju Island.

Hwang Inn-Choon was poised to take the clubhouse lead in the European Tour’s inaugural event in his home country after playing his opening 16 holes in five-under, alongside Finland’s Mikko Ilonen, who had made six birdies and one bogey through 14 holes.

Hwang, who is only playing courtesy of an invitation the Korean PGA, reached the turn in four-under 32 before a further birdie at the 11th and a dropped shot at the 12th, which was reclaimed two holes later.

McDowell was joined on four under by India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, who overshadowed playing partner Padraig Harrington, who finished at one-under.

McDowell said: “It lacks a bit of rough, so you can give it a bit of a lash of the tee, but you’ve got to be super smart coming into these greens.

“They were quite generous with the pins today, so there was a little bit of a score to be had but you’ve still got to be quite smart.

“I played the last seven holes in three under, so it’s pleasant enough, and it was nice to finish with a birdie.”

Open champion Harrington made a steady if unspectacular start, reaching the turn one-under alongside Singh, who made a double bogey six on the 18th, his ninth, following three birdies over his opening four holes.

Dubliner Harrington fell back to level-par with a bogey on the par-three second, his 11th.

A birdie on the par-five fourth followed, but successive dropped shots on the sixth and seventh left the Irishman in trouble.

However, Harrington salvaged a below-par score with two straight birdies to complete his round.

The 36-year-old played a lob wedge from 72 yards and converted from eight feet at his penultimate hole, before carding a four on the par-five ninth, his 18th.

“It’s a pretty tough day with the wind,” said Harrington. “Assuming four-under is leading or thereabouts, one-under is fine.”

Welshman Garry Houston signed for a 69 alongside France’s Raphael Jacquelin to be firmly in contention after reaching the turn on one-under before picking up two birdies on his back nine

Unheralded Englishman Tom Whitehouse, who is yet to make the cut in seven tournaments on the European Tour this season, holed a nine iron into the wind from 117 yards to claim an eagle on the par-four third, having dropped a shot on the second.

But the 27-year-old, from Coleshill and attached to The Belfry, endured an up-and-down round and eventually finished on two-under.