There was a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard after day one of the Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open, as Dean Burmester, Jordan Smith and Aaron Rai all carded five-under rounds of 65 at the tricky Galgorm Castle Golf Club.
Play was suspended at the very end of the day with just one group left to finish, but the trio were safe at the top, one stroke clear of Englishman Toby Tree heading into day two in Northern Ireland, where the performance of a homegrown amateur player set tongues wagging.
Irishman James Sugrue, the 2019 Amateur Champion who played at last week’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot, carded a three-under 67 to sit just two shots off the pace – drawing comparisons with a famous amateur victory in this tournament by one Shane Lowry 11 years ago.
Lowry, returning to home soil for the first time as Open Champion this week, struggled to an opening five over 75 while European Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington carded a one-over 71 in his first competitive appearance in six months.
European Tour Release, Sep 25, 2020
