Molinari shoots 63 for 1-stroke lead at Irish Open
BALTRAY, Ireland - Italian Francesco Molinari broke the course record on a day of spectacular scoring in The 3 Irish Open at County Louth to lead by a stroke after the opening round.
Molinari grabbed an eagle and eight birdies in a nine under par 63, which matched the lowest round of the 26 year old's European Tour career.
But brilliant though Molinari’s round was, it was good enough for only a one shot lead.
Only 40 minutes earlier Swede Johan Edfors had equalled the old record for Baltray after collecting no fewer than ten birdies.
"I enjoy links golf and I enjoyed it a lot today," smiled Molinari, whose older brother Edoardo was US Amateur champion in 2005.
It helps, of course, when you make a make a 20 footer for birdie on the first and then a 30 footer for eagle at the third, but nobody could accuse the Turin golfer of not capitalising on those early bonuses.
"I played a lot of links golf as an amateur and it's just a matter of getting used to it again," he added.
Not that the course played hard and fast. Rain softened it up and everybody was able to attack the flags more as a result - some more successfully than others inevitably.
Former Scottish Open champion Edfors said: “It seemed like every time I hit a good approach shot, I knocked it up really, really close. I got a lot of really easy birdies, and didn't actually hole a putt over ten feet all day.
“We don't play very many tournaments on links courses - I would like there to be a few more. I haven't played it that much in the past either, so I really enjoy it every time we get an opportunity to play on a links course.”
The Swede is another two shots clear of group of seven players, with Finland’s Roope Kakko, India’s Shiv Kapur, Scot Paul Lawrie, Wales’ Jamie Donaldson and the English trio of Nick Dougherty, Robert Rock and Oliver Wilson all six under.
Kapur’s round featured several spectacular long putts, as he completed a bogey free card.
“When the putter works, you are going to post a score no matter how you are hitting it,” he said. “I stayed patient, and any time you don't make a bogey on a course like this, you have to be happy.”
John Daly, second in Italy on Sunday, kept another colourful pair of trousers under waterproofs all day but his impressive comeback continued with a 68, the same as Lee Westwood.
Wilson - doubtful earlier in the week because of a neck injury and a chest inflammation known as costro-chondritis - has not played since the Masters Tournament, pulling out just before the start of last week's Players Championship, but said: "I'm on strong anti-inflammatories and I'm really pleased with that round."
He felt it was important to get off to a good start and certainly did that. After birdies on the first two he matched Molinari's eagle at the next.
Another on six under was Liverpool's Dougherty, who fell out of Ryder Cup reckoning after his mother died suddenly last April and only now looks to be returning to something like the form he was showing just before.Return to Other Tours archives