Horsey lives up to his big reputation

West of Ireland Championship: Nobody could say they hadn't been warned. The word on the grapevine was that David Horsey, an English amateur with a chest-full of titles, was more than a tad handy.

Yesterday, on what passed for a benign day at Rosses Point - and on his 21st birthday - he proved the point in the first round of strokeplay qualifying in the West of Ireland championship by shooting a four-under-par 67 on the lengthened course to grab star billing.

For many, the first two days of the West, sponsored by the Radisson SAS Hotel & Spa, is simply about qualifying for the matchplay. It doesn't matter where you qualify, just as long as a spot in the top-64 is secured.

For Horsey, who entertains ambitions of being part of the Britain and Ireland team for next year's Walker Cup at Royal Co Down, it's about improving a golfing curriculum vitae that gets more impressive each year.

While claiming a place on England's elite squad this past year, Horsey won the Greek amateur championship, his county championship in Cheshire and - a biggie - the England County Champions' title. The decision to give up studying business to concentrate full-time on golf has been borne out by the results, so far.

On a course where three holes - the sixth, eighth and 11th - have been lengthened, adding just over 110 yards in total, and additional bunkering has been placed on the sixth, seventh and 15th holes, scoring was difficult. In fact, only eight players managed to better the course's par of 71: Horsey (67), Chris Hughes (68), Ronan Maher (69), Ryan Boal (69), and David Houlihan, Harry Diamond, Niall O'Connor and Enda Kennedy, who had 70s.

Last year, 22 players bettered par in the first round, and defending champion Rory McIlroy testified that the changes - of which he approved - saw a marked contrast with a year ago.

For example, on the 11th he hit a four-iron approach, compared to a sandwedge a year ago.

With the wind abating late in the day, Hughes, from Royal Portrush, looked set to beat Horsey's mark. Six-under standing on the 16th tee, Hughes bogeyed the last three holes to finish a stroke adrift of the leader.

McIlroy didn't break par, but finished the day comfortably placed after a 71.

"I'm playing quite well," confirmed the 16-year-old.

Indeed, he scorched around the opening five holes in four-under, with birdies at the first, third, fourth and fifth, only to be halted by double-bogeys on the seventh, where his approach found the burn in front of the green, and the 15th, where his drive finished in deep rough and he had to take a penalty drop.

Another Irish international to make a comfortable start to the 36-hole qualifying was Darren Crowe, who opened with a 71, while fellow international Mark Campbell signed for a 72, despite double bogeying the 17th. And Irish Boys' champion Niall Kearney also opened with a 72.

But Irish Youths' champion Séamus Power has some work to do to secure a qualifying place after opening with a 78.

Former champion Ken Kearney was forced to withdraw prior to the start due to flu.

There were no such problems for Horsey, however. The Englishman - whose mother hails from Douglas in Cork - has a tendency to shoot low rounds. In the English County Champions' championship, he shot a course-record 64 at Woodhall Spa; and, yesterday, he got off to a flying start with an 18-footer for birdie at the first, followed by a tap-in birdie on the par five third.

His only bogeys came at the sixth, when he missed the green with a five-iron approach, and the eighth when his ball finished in a divot. But sandwiched in between was an eight-footer for birdie on the seventh, and further birdies came at the ninth, 10th and 12th.