Shane Lowry finds himself tied for 97th place as his opening day of the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm, did not go according to plan. A five-over-par on the 70 par course was not what the Clara native had in mind as he looked to emulate his feat in 2009 when he won the tournament as an amateur.
Lowry will now struggle to make the cut for the weekend, with eight bogeys along the way doing him no favours.
It was better news for Irish amateur James Sugrue, who shot a three-under-par 67 and is currently tied for fifth place. Kells native Damien McGrane, meanwhile, finds himself tied for 23rd place, having finished on par.
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It is a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard with South Africa's Dean Burmester and English duo Jordan Smith and Aaron Rai, all shooting a five-under-par,with compatriot Toby Tree just one shot off the lead.
But what was a day to forget for Lowry, proved a terrific day for Sugrue, who is now part of a chasing pack that includes Rikard Karlberg and John Catlin.
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