McIlroy trails leader Niemann by four shots after Irish Open opening round
Rory McIlroy carded a one-under-par round on a windy opening day at the Irish Open, while Chile's Joaquin Niemann surged to the top of the leaderboard.
Blustery winds and sudden showers disrupted play on the first day of the Irish Open at the Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in County Clare, where the tournament is being staged at Doonbeg.
World number two Rory McIlroy shot a one-under-par 69 despite the tough conditions. The Northern Irishman picked up birdies at the second and fourth holes but suffered a double bogey at the 13th after needing two attempts to escape a bunker. He recovered a shot with a birdie at the 15th.
McIlroy is defending the title he won last year at the K Club and is chasing a third Irish Open title of his career, having previously triumphed at this same Doonbeg venue in 2016. A win this week would draw him level with European golf greats Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie, who have each won the event three times.
Niemann takes control
LIV Golf's Joaquin Niemann of Chile posted six birdies against a single dropped shot, including four in a row between the 14th and 17th holes, to move to five under par. That gives him a two-shot lead over a group of five players that includes Ireland's Shane Lowry and South Africa's Shaun Norris.
Several players, including Italy's Renato Paratore, Austria's Maximilian Steinlechner and Poland's Adrian Meronk, were unable to finish their first rounds because of the wind and fading light, and will resume play on Friday morning.
Two-time Irish Open champion Jon Rahm shot an even-par round, while five-time major winner Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia both finished five shots over par. Koepka's day got off to a rough start with a triple bogey on the first hole.
