One by one they headed into the recorder’s hut; some smiling, one not. Whilst Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry were content with their work after solid opening rounds, Pádraig Harrington fidgeted to get the superglue off his iPhone. It was the least of his problems, an opening 76 effectively scuttling his PGA ambitions before it got a chance to get up and running.

McDowell’s level par 70 at least brought a measure of contentment to the Ulsterman, seeking to end his Majors season on a better note than his appearances at the Masters (missed cut), US Open (missed cut) and British Open (tied-58th).

Apart from being a bit "heavy-handed" with his putting early on, G-Mac did what you're supposed to do at Oak Hill: hit the fairways, find the greens. Until a little wobble coming in.

Bad iron
"I'm moderately satisfied," said McDowell, whose swing had worked well until an errant approach shot with a five-iron on the seventh, his 16th, led to a later bogey. "I hit three bad iron shots coming in, which probably took the edge off being very pleased . . . I executed correctly, attacked my targets well and hit the ball in the correct places. I putted well . . ."

McDowell, who started on the 10th, turned in one over but picked up birdies on the fourth and sixth before dropping a shot on the seventh.

Overall, though, his game was in good shape.

“ If I had that swing at Muirfield, I might have had a chance,” he said, adding: “I’d love to put myself on the leader board at the end of the week. Going into Sunday, if I can be within four or five of the lead, I’d take that.”

Lowry – who opened with a 71 – was also reasonably pleased. “I’m happy enough, sitting okay,” said the Offaly man, whose only concern was a cold putter. Although he has three different putters with him this week, he is intent on persevering with the Scotty Cameron.

"I feel like if I keep playing the way I'm playing and manage to hole a few putts, you never know what could happen over the weekend . . . . I just have no confidence, which is a bit disheartening because I am playing so well. I'm just not knocking them in. I'm quite anxious over them, just something mental more than anything and I need to try and hit a good putt and see what happens from there.

Good putts
"I am getting in my own way and missing them because of myself. What's annoying is that I'm not hitting good putts. If you're hitting good putts and missing, I wouldn't mind. It's something I have to address," said Lowry, who made a phone call to his coach Neil Manchip and spent time on the putting green after his round with caddie Dermot Byrne.

Harrington suffered two double-bogeys in his round, on the 15th and the seventh. Starting on the 10th, he turned in 40 strokes and, after steadying the ship somewhat with a birdie on the first followed by five pars, he then hit an overhanging tree with his approach on the seventh. “The expectations were reasonably high (coming in), I just wasn’t very comfortable. I haven’t been very comfortable around the greens last week (in Reno) or this week, which isn’t great.”