Golf Digest

McIlroy leads from the front:A joint best-of-the-day 67 from Rory McIlroy kept Ireland in contention after the first round of the European Amateur Team championships at Western Gailes in Scotland yesterday.

His four-under-par opening round helped Ireland to an aggregate of three over par, with five of six players' scores to count, to trail leaders France and Norway by four shots.

That had Ireland sharing fifth place, and in good position to secure a quarter-final spot (the top flight of eight teams).

Simon Ward was next best of the Irish with a level par 71, while Richard Kilpatrick and Gareth Shaw fired 73s and Shane Lowery and Jonathan Caldwell opened with 74s.

England were alone in third on level par, with Scotland fourth on two over.

Denmark shared fifth with Ireland.

The others to match McIlroy's 67 were Norway's Fredrik Kollevold, Morton Madsen of Denmark and Sweden's Jones Blixt.

BRITISH OPEN - REGIONAL QUALIFYING:Former British Amateur champion Brian McElhinney was among 12 players to come through the first of the British Open regional qualifying events at Royal Dublin yesterday. Rain and strong winds meant not a single player broke the par of 72.

McElhinney, winner of the Amateur title at Royal Birkdale two years ago and now a professional, had a five-over-par 77 to finish joint seventh of the 12 who progressed to the 36-hole final qualifying in Scotland next Monday and Tuesday.

Winner with a one-over 73 was Dundalk's Leslie Walker, one ahead of Justin Kehoe, from Birr, and Alan Murray, of Greystones.

BRITISH OPEN - US QUALIFYING:A brilliant second-round 65 brought England's Brian Davis a place in the British Open through the American qualifier at Oakland Hills near Detroit on Monday.

Trailing well down the field on four over after an opening 74 the former Spanish Open champion charged all the way up to joint fourth.

Tour winners Jerry Kelly and Sean O'Hair will also be at Carnoustie and so will Duffy Waldorf, Spencer Levin and Australian Mark Hensby, who survived a six-man play-off for the final three spots.

New Spanish sensation Pablo Martin failed to win a place.

Details in SPORTS ROUND-UP

u BRITISH OPEN - PRIZE MONEY: Total prize money for the British Open will be £4.2million (€6.2m), an increase of £200,000 on last year. The winner of the claret jug will receive £750,000, an increase of £30,000 on the amount Tiger Woods got for his successful defence 12 months ago.