Defending champion Howard seven back as Hill sets hot East of Ireland pace at windy Baltray

7-DOWN: David Howard tees off. Pic: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo.

Defending champion David Howard opened with a two-over 74 but he wasn’t too concerned to be seven shots off the pace in the East of Ireland Men’s Amateur Open at County Louth.

The 27-year-old Fota Island man was tied for 25th in the 132-man field behind Galgorm Castle’s Joshua Hill, who fired a five-under 67 to lead the Arnotts-sponsored classic by three strokes from Louth’s Stuart Grehan, Seapoint’s recently-crowned North of Ireland champion Dylan Keating, Lahinch’s reigning South of Ireland champion Jonathan Keane and Norway’s Nicolai Rosl.

“The rough is up and the wind is up,” said the Cork man, who made two of his four bogeys by driving into fairway bunkers.

“I drove it very well last year, so the plan is to find the short grass, make a few putts, and see where that takes us.”

Howard does not expect a low winning score at Baltray, where South Alabama University-based Irish international Hill, 22, made six birdies and a bogey in a stiff westerly wind to set the pace.

The Ballymena star, who won the Mullingar Scratch Trophy in 2022, birdied the second and third and followed a bogey at the fifth with birdies at the sixth, 12th, 14th and 17th to take a clear lead on a day when just seven players broke par.

With thick rough making Baltray a tough test in 25 mph gusts, faces stiff competition from a quality chasing pack that includes 2015 winner Grehan and fellow Walker Cup star Gavin Tiernan from the host club, who shot 71 to share sixth with Royal Dublin’s Jack McDonnell.

Another former Walker Cup player, Dundalk’s Caolan Rafferty, was lurking in the group on level par.

“I probably left a good few out there to be perfectly honest, but I played really nice golf,” said Grehan, who birdied the second, fourth and sixth before dropping his lone shot after being forced to hack out from the rough at the 11th. “I had a load of chances coming in that I didn't really take advantage of, but look, I'm playing pretty well, so I'm pretty pleased.”

Grehan won the “East” in 2015 and with the Walker Cup at Lahinch on his mind, he’s keen to add another trophy to a collection that includes last year’s Irish Amateur Close and Irish Amateur Open titles and the 2015 South of Ireland.

“When you've been there and done that, yeah, it does take a little bit of heat off, but I still want to go out there and try and do it again,” Grehan said.

“My head's in a good place, so I’m looking forward to the next couple of days.