McGinley chases unlikely contenders

The look was that of a perplexed man, not someone just a couple of shots off the lead. Paul McGinley has spent so long searching for his game this summer that he, more than anyone, was somewhat bemused to discover large segments of it had returned yesterday as the first round of the West of Ireland Classic at Galway Bay created a gaggle of unlikely contenders.

Elliot Boult, a 33-year-old New Zealander who has lived much of the season in anonymity on the Challenge Tour, assumed the lead with a course record six-under-par 66. At the end of a day of hot scoring, but much head-scratching and delving into player's bios to establish track records, a shot behind Boult lay the Danes Soren and Anders Hansen (no relation) and Nils Rorbaek.

At least McGinley knows what it takes to win on tour, even if the second of his European Tour titles was claimed two years ago. His round of 68 was marred only by a bogey at his penultimate hole, the eighth, but it enabled him to assumed the mantle of leading Irishman in what is developing into quite a strong home challenge.

Padraig Harrington, his World Cup-winning team-mate of two years ago, and Francis Howley both shot opening rounds of 69, while sponsor's invitee Peter Lawrie and club professional Brendan McGovern shot 70s. Des Smyth and Eamonn Darcy also shot subpar rounds, both grabbing 71s, but Smyth lamented a round that featured 37 putts. Graham Spring and Geoff Loughrey also finished on that score.

"I've been working really hard on my game without getting much reward and my confidence just went so low," admitted McGinley.

In fact, after finishing runner-up to Jarmo Sandelin in the Spanish Open last April, the Dubliner jumped into Ryder Cup contention. It all went horribly wrong thereafter. He's made only six of 12 cuts on tour since, including early finishes at arguably the three most important tournaments of all: the Irish Open, the British Open and the European Open. All pretty hard to take.

Yesterday, signs of a strong recovery surfaced as he rolled in six birdies - the longest from 15 feet on his sixth hole, the 15th, to complete a hattrick and get him to five-under - offset by two bogeys, the last of them on the eighth, his 17th, when his tee-shot finished on the lip of a fairway bunker.

If the past few months have been frustrating for McGinley, he has, at least, put himself into a position to challenge for a tournament again. And so has Harrington, the player with most to gain from a Ryder Cup perspective if he should happen to go on and win.

Harrington produced probably the shot of the first day on his final hole yesterday. His drive to the ninth splashed into the lake, but his recovery was sublime. Faced with 214 yards to the pin, uphill and into the wind, he hit a one-iron to 20 feet and then holed the putt, which had a five-foot break, for an unlikely par four.

It followed a sand save for par at the previous hole and Harrington observed: "After 16 holes I could have moaned that I hadn't holed more, but after the last two I couldn't have asked for more than 69."

For Howley, immediate aspirations aren't quite as lofty as those of Harrington. Still, the Challenge Tour player had reached the four-under-par mark after a front nine, having started on the 10th, that brought birdies at the 11th, 14th, where he holed from 15 feet, 15th and 17th holes, and he kept his game together admirably until the last where his tee-shot found a fairway bunker and led to a bogey.

An invitation from Bord Failte to Lawrie was also utilised as the former Irish amateur champion got to three-under-par playing the last, but he three-putted the 18th for a 70.

For a number of other Irish players, it was a tale of woe. Raymond Burns was three-under standing on the 18th but drove out-of-bounds and finished with a triple bogey seven, while Philip Walton struggled to a horrendous 75.

There were no such worries for the first round leader. With his girlfriend, Karen, over from Perth to caddie for him, the Challenge Tour player had five birdies, including a chip-in at the eighth, in an error-free round to set the pace.

"If I can finish first or second, then I would get my card for sure," said Boult.