CAMERON RAYMOND used his local knowledge to conquer the wind and rain and lead the 28-strong home charge in the Irish Challenge at Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links.

The Artane man (22) overcome the worst of the afternoon conditions, dropping just one shot in a three-under 68 to share third place with Holywood teenager Tom McKibbin (18), Spain's Borja Virto, Scot Daniel Young and Swede Felix Palson.

"I only live 10 minutes down the road, and playing in the Tuesday Winter Series here really helped a lot," said the former Leinster interprovincial. "I hit 15 or 16 greens, and that was pretty much the recipe. You just have to stay out of the rough, especially downwind; otherwise, there's no way you can keep it on the green, and you'll be out here all day.”

McKibbin has missed the cut in every professional event he has played, including his last three since turning professional himself.

But he’s upbeat about banking his first cheque this week after opening with a fine 68 yesterday.

“I got off to a pretty solid start and made some birdies on the front nine then I had an unfortunate double on the 18th,” he said. “But I started back with two birdies in a row and that was really good and then it was a question of hanging on the way in on those holes into the wind.”

As for the lessons he learned from his first three events as a professional, he said: “It just highlighted some of my weaknesses and I had to go away and work on those.”

Spain's Alfredo Garcia Heredia (39) took advantage of the best weather, firing eight birdies a seven-under 64 in the second group of the day to lead by three shots from England's Gary King.

Ballymena's Dermot McElroy carded a one-under 70 in the worst of the wind and rain to share 11th place as Stuart Grehan and Michael Hoey chiselled out even-par 71s.

“Driving is key around here,” McElroy said. “You have to control your ball flight. You just can’t miss in certain places out here and short side yourself.  It’s really just being in control of your game playing well.”

Mallow’s James Sugrue discovered to his cost that you cannot afford to lose concentration for a second.

Winner of the 2019 Amateur Championship at neighbouring Portmarnock in 2019, he dropped three late shots, running up a double-bogey at the 15th and a bogey at the last to card a 72 and share 27th with Naas' Conor O'Rourke.

“I played pretty well to be honest I was going along nicely and then on 15 I had an okay tee-shot and just played the wrong shot,” Sugrue said. Tried to cut one into the wind and the wind took it and it ended up in a horrible lie on the bank and I made double then I was trying to make birdie down the last and I got cheeky with it and I short-sided myself with up against the dunes it was not a good lie but I didn’t get it up and down. 

“It’s very tough and seven under is some score out there today. It should’ve been a few better without doing anything special but so is life.  Middle of the green on some holes is good and if you’re not on the fairway, you may as well forget it because you have absolutely zero control. If you want to hit it close, you have to be on the fairway. “

The course is giving up nothing, especially into the wind.

“I was surprised how windy it was from the get-go,” Sugrue said. “I heard it wasn’t supposed to be too windy in the morning. There are par fives out there… on 13 I ripped a driver, then another driver off the deck and then hit nine iron. There’s no messing around. 

“I got caught on the ninth, the par three.  I thought the wind was kind of across and it was straight into and I hit an eight and the thing just came up like 50 yards short so then I just said to myself there’s no point in hitting anything full into this wind. Even across the wind, it’s just about controlling it. I managed to control it pretty well. Okay, 15 was kind of a kick in the stomach I should never have made double there but we will move on and go again tomorrow.”

Purcell was pleased with his 73 having played in the worst of the wind.

“It was just hang onto your hats and try to not hit too many destructive shots,” he said. “Two over is probably not far off par for the course in the afternoon. I had a few good breaks.

“I had a chip in early on and you have to take advantage of those breaks. It was one of those days where you can get bogged down annoyed about the early starters. I had one or two three putts. The speed of the greens was a little bit off when the rain came. So it’s just about holing your six footers and in here and if I can do that will be in with a shout.”

Robin Dawson is certainly hoping for better today after opening with a 75 on the back of missed cuts in back to back events in Sweden.

“The last 15 holes, it was a pure grind,” the Tramore man said. “The way I’ve been playing the last couple of weeks is not like my usual self so but it’s an improvement on what I have been playing so at least if I have a good score tomorrow I’ll be there for the weekend. 

“It’s just about keeping big numbers off the card. You have to flight to your ball. I feel today the greens are small greens and upturned greens which makes it tough so hitting it close today was tough with the wind. It was playing long times  too, so controlling our ball flight is the main thing.”

As for the leader, Garcia-Heredia took full advantage of the calm early conditions before the wind and rain arrived on the Velvet Strand to lead by three ahead of Englishman Gary King, who sits in second place following a bogey-free four-under par round of 67.

The 39-year-old, who admitted to having little experience of playing links golf, was ecstatic with his opening round in Co. Dublin.

“I played really well, it was probably my best round of the year so far,” he said. “I like the area, the place, the hotel and the links golf course is great.

“If you play well, you make a good score, and to shoot seven-under I also had to have some good breaks in order to make birdies and save some pars. Honestly, I think my play deserved four or five under, but seven is a good bonus.”

The Gijon native’s red-hot start to proceedings in Ireland continues his good form of late, which includes a tie for 12th place at the Canary Islands Championship on the European Tour.

“I have been playing well,” he said. “I was resting at home last week and I needed that break after playing in the Canary Islands. I arrived here on Monday and practised on Tuesday, so I played 36 holes, which is not normal for me.

“With links golf courses you have to get in as many rounds as possible and focus on the lines, the targets and be patient because the wind can change, and bogeys are definitely out there. It is important to make your pars and then take advantage of the good shots that you hit.

“It is very challenging because the fairways are narrow, the wind is sideways and back into you. It is the most complete golf course I have played this year for sure. You must be playing really well to be successful on this links course.”

Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin shares third place with Ireland’s Cameron Raymond, Spaniard Borja Virto, Scotsman Daniel Young and Sweden’s Felix Palson on three under par, while Germany’s Yannick Paul, Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan and Iceland’s Gudmundur Kristjansson share eighth place on two under par.

The second round of the Irish Challenge will begin at 7:30 am local time on Friday, May 28, with Garica-Heredia teeing it up at 12:30 pm alongside Welshman David Boote and Norway’s Elias Bertheussen.

At the European man Tour’s Made in HimmerLand in Denmark, Clandeboye's Jonny Caldwell made six birdies in a four-under 67 to lie just a shot off the pace set by defending champion Bernd Wiesberger, Finland's Lauri Ruuska, British Masters winner Richard Bland, Spain's Pablo Larrazábal and Korea's Yikeun Chang.

Paul Dunne and Niall Kearney were 55th after level par 71s, but Ardglass' Cormac Sharvin had five bogeys and a double-bogey in a 75.

Irish Challenge, Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links ( Par 71)

Scores

64 A Garcia-Heredia (Esp),

67 G King (Eng),

68 D Young (Sco), F Palson (Swe), Cameron Raymond (Irl), B Virto (Esp), Tom McKibbin (Nir),

69 G Kristjansson (Isl), K Reitan (Nor), Y Paul (Ger),

70 A Knappe (Ger), Dermot McElroy (Nir), D Borda (Esp), M Galiano Aguilar (Esp), M Bullen (Eng),

71 S Gregory (Eng), J Brun (Fra), E Rousaud (Esp), Michael Hoey (Nir), B Windred (Aus), J Dantorp (Swe), Stuart Grehan (Irl), B Schmidt (Eng), M Lundberg (Swe), D Huizing (Ned), C Cannon (Eng),

72 M Fenasse (Fra), D Gavins (Eng), A Wilson (Eng), O Hundeboll (Den), A Hietala (Fin), N Kristensen (Den), Conor O'Rourke (Irl), D Boote (Wal), U Coussaud (Fra), V Riu (Fra), R Dinwiddie (Eng), J Arnoy (Nor), James Sugrue (Irl), M Elvira (Esp), R Gouveia (Por), E Cuartero Blanco (Esp), D Hillier (Nzl), J Lando Casanova (Fra), B Hellgren (Swe), N McCarthy (Eng), C Mivis (Bel), D Walkley (Eng),

73 B Moore (Eng), Paul McBride (Irl), R Lumsden (Sco), Conor Purcell (Irl), L Vacarisas (Esp), S Gros (Fra), C Hanna (USA), E Bertheussen (Nor), Rowan Lester (Am) (Irl), B Rusch (Sui), J Girrbach (Sui), M Gradecki (Pol), J Ballesteros (Esp), R De Sousa (Sui), E Di Nitto (Ita), J Paul (Ger), J Freiburghaus (Sui), R Williams (Am) (Eng), F Maccario (Ita),

74 Simon Thornton (Irl), Colm Moriarty (Irl), J Jones (Can), H Ellis (Eng), T Koivisto (USA), D Lawson (Aus), M Orrin (Eng), Shane Franklin (Irl), N Fenwick (Sco), R Van West (Ned), M Svensson (Swe), C Ross (Sco), E Dubois (Fra), H Arkenau (Ger), L Lipold (Aut), M Manassero (Ita), A Zemmer (Ita), J Garcia Del Moral (Esp), P Edberg (Swe), E Walker (Sco), Michael Dallat (Nir), J Maurer (Aut), S Broadhurst (Eng), Ronan Mullarney (Irl),

75 F Lacroix (Fra), Gavin Moynihan (Irl), B Neil (Sco), A Plant (Eng), F Bergamaschi (Ita), J Kahlos (Fin), C Berardo (Fra), Robin Dawson (Irl), M Lamb (Eng), I Cantero Gutierrez (Esp),

76 Tim Rice (Irl), J Bekirian (Fra), Caolan Rafferty (Am) (Irl), L Nemecz (Aut), L Johnston (Sco), M Wiegele (Aut), R Petersson (Swe), S Henry (Sco), J Fahrbring (Swe), J Svensson (Swe), Peter O'Keeffe (Am) (Irl), G Bourdy (Fra), Jonathan Yates (Irl), S Fernandez (Esp), M Carlsson (Swe), S Forsstrom (Swe), Daniel Mulligan (Irl), C Farr (Eng),

77 M Lampert (Ger), M Lindberg (Swe), D Perrier (Fra), V Osterby (Den), F Nilehn (Swe), S Tiley (Eng), A Eineving (Swe), A Blomme (Swe),

78 P Langfors (Swe), Gary Hurley (Irl), Simon Bryan (Irl), G Bloor (Eng), S Tarrio (Esp), G Boyd (Eng), O Gillberg (Swe), John Ross Galbraith (Nir), Marc Boucher (Am) (Irl), E Lipparelli (Ita), L Northwood (Gbr), D Kemmer (USA),

79 O Farrell (Eng), J Andersen (Den), M Hirmer (Ger), M Honkala (Fin),

80 P Geerts (Ita), S Del Val (Esp), M Ortolani (Ita), Brendan McCarroll (Irl),

81 M Penge (Eng), M Murray (USA),

84 J Kunzenbacher (Ger), Brendan Walton (Irl), D Quinones (USA)