US Tour: Padraig Harrington shot a level par 71 in the first round of the Booz Allen Classic at Congressional Country Club, Maryland, last night, leaving him eight shots behind clubhouse leader Matt Gogel, who shot an eight-under-par 63.
Harrington, who started on the 10th hole, dropped a shot with a five on the 13th, but responded with a birdie at the par four 14th. Further fives, on the 17th and fifth, left him at two over par, but he pulled a shot back with a four on the long sixth. A sand wedge to within 10 feet on the eighth allowed him to get back to level par.
Gogel began with five consecutive pars then struck red-hot form with birdies on eight of his next 12 holes. He was three shots ahead of Fredrick Jacobson, Lee Westwood and Brett Wetterich.
World number one Vijay Singh had an even-par 71.
WOMEN'S BRITISH AMATEUR OPEN: Three Irish golfers progressed to the third round of the British women's championship at Littlestone.
Tricia Mangan of Ennis beat Welsh champion Sarah Jones 7 and 6 before overcoming Scotland's Kyllie Walker by 2 and 1. Mangan now plays France's Alexandra Vilatte.
Clare Coughlan of Cork beat Sarah-Jane Eaves and then Beatrizecari both by 5 and 4 margins and now faces Kent's Sian Reddick. Beaverstown's Martina Gillen needed 25 holes to beat Belgium's Lien Willems and Holland's Myrte Eikenaar.
CHALLENGE TOUR: Ireland's Justin Kehoe shot a two-under-par 69 to lie tied-third after the first round of the Thomas Bjorn Open at Esbjerg Golfklub yesterday. Kehoe is three behind leader Toni Karjalainen of Finland.
