Steel blades kicked dust off parched fairways yesterday, as Ernie Els overshadowed Tiger Woods with a six-under-par 66 to claim the first-round lead in ideal British Open conditions on the Old Course at St Andrews. The American was a shot behind.
The celebrated venue became something of a home from home for the Irish challengers. Small in number, they displayed an abundance of quality, with Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley actually leading or claiming a share of the lead at various stages of an eventful day.
It was classic links golf as the pioneers had envisaged the game more than five centuries ago.
There was a particularly memorable effort, however, from Christy O'Connor Jnr, who qualified for this St Andrews swansong by capturing the Senior British Open at Royal Portrush 12 months ago. In the event, the Galwayman, who will be 52 next month, shot a sparkling 69. The last of the four Irishmen was Darren Clarke, with a two-under-par round of 70. Out among the early starters, the Tyroneman experienced one the curiosities of links golf when he played into the breeze for the first eight holes, then saw it change direction so that it was also against him on the homeward journey.
Harrington, whose share of fifth place in the US Open at Pebble Beach last month was the best ever by an Irishman, was outright leader yesterday on six under par after a birdie on the 12th.
But he made the mistake of playing defensively from there on, and eventually was forced to settle for a 68. "I tried to protect what I had, instead of increasing my lead," he admitted. "So I'm relatively pleased with my score, but slightly unhappy with how I got it."
By way of contrast, McGinley was "very pleased" with a 69, which included five birdies.
In all, it amounted to the finest Irish start to this famous championship in recent decades. Now the challenge will be to match the finish of 1994 at Turnberry, where David Feherty (tied fourth) and Ronan Rafferty (tied 11th) challenged Nick Price for the title.