Power and McKibbin lead Irish at Dunhill Links
Mark Power
Rookies Mark Power and Tom McKibbin were the best of the Irish after the opening round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Power opened with a two-under 70 on the Old Course at St Andrews to share 60th place with McKibbin, who shot a two-under 70 at Kingsbarns.
They were six shots behind Sweden’s Sebastian Söderberg and American Peter Uihlein, who shot eight-under 64s at St Andrews, and Spain's Arnaus, who carded a 64 at Carnoustie.
John Murphy was 84th after a 71 at Carnoustie, where Padraig Harrington double-bogeyed the 18th to sign or a 73.
Meanwhile, Ryder Cup stars Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton as well as South Korea’s Tom Kim have committed to the new Monday night TGL golf league promoted by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, which is scheduled to start next year.
“Everything I’ve heard about TGL is really intriguing,” Lowry said. “Between Ryder Cups and World Cups, I’ve always enjoyed playing with a partner or for a team. It’s great to see golf being creative and trying new things. I imagine this will be a lot of fun.”
Meanwhile, Ryder Cup Europe said no one was hurt in the huge blaze which destroyed the hospitality area right of the first tee at Ryder Cup venue Marco Simone in Rome yesterday, adding that the cause of the blaze was being investigated.
On the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire was six shots behind leader Hyo Joo Kim after opening with a one-under 70 in the Ascendant LPGA in Texas.
At the First Stage of the DP World Tour Q-School, Niall Kearney is the only Irish player inside the crucial top 20 and ties heading into today’s final round at Golf de Moliets in France.
A three-under 69 left him tied ninth on eight-under with Stuart Grehan (69) the next best of the Irish, a shot outside the mark in 22nd.
Michael Young (70) was two shots outside the mark on three under with Tim Rice (75) two under and Stephen Grant (73) one over.
Cormac Sharvin missed the 54-hole cut on nine over after an 81.
At the Challenge Tour’s Hopps Open de Provence, Dermot McElroy’s four-under 68 left him tied 17th, four shots behind leader Felix Mory of France.
