Finally the weather gods have shed some sunlight on a golf event in Ireland and the early starters on the third morning if the Smurfit Kappa European Open wasted little time taking advantage of the relatively benign conditions.
David Higgins was one of only three Irishmen who made the halfway cut last night. The Waterville man, playing on a sponsor's invite, kept his nerve to card a bogey-free second round 68 to make to survive the weekend on the cut mark of one over.
From there he forged ahead and from the first this morning was four-under for his round through 10 holes. Higgins reached the turn in three-under 33 with four birdies and just the one dropped shot. Another birdie at the par five 10th moved him to three-under for the tournament and within five shot of the overnight lead.
That lead is held by little-known Swede Pelle Edberg, whose 65 yesterday was enough to keep the 28-year-old one shot ahead of Colin Montgomerie, who shot a best of the day 64, and fellow Swede Niclas Fasth (68).
The fact is the Smurfit Course is playing benignly as overnight rain, followed by calm morning conditions, mean the players can pick off pins on receptive greens with relative ease. With high quality putting on show, birdies as opposed a struggle for pars is the currency at present.
All eight players who made it through the turn at this early stage were level par or better. And with rain forecast for the afternoon the early starters could steal a march on the leaders.
Pádraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell are the best-placed Irishmen on one-under. McDowell set off with former US Open champion Michael Campbell at 11.21am and raced to four-under for the tournament while Harrington was out at 11.57am with Joakim Haeggman and quickly reached two-under.
The final group is an all Swedish affair with Edberg and Fasth due to take to the course at 1.50pm.
European Tour officials opted to keep the 18th as a par three, just as they have done for the first two days, instead of reverting it back to the normal par five. The change is due to unplayable conditions in the landing area after such heavy downpours.