KEITH NOLAN had mixed emotions after an opening round of 71 in the world amateur team golf championships at the Southwoods Country Club in the Philippines yesterday. The 23 year old from Bray helped Britain and Ireland to a solid start, but admitted there was still room for improvement.

"It was a solid knock, but I realise that with some of the other countries scoring very low I will have to go even better to give the team some impetus," said the East Tennessee University student.

Nolan played over the Masters course, the tougher of the two being used for the Eisenhower Trophy, and coped well with the stifling heat that reached the high 90s.

He made the perfect start with a birdie at the first hole after hitting a nine iron approach to 15 feet, dropped a stroke at the sixth after his drive found the sand. A great bunker shot to the eighth set up another birdie, but the sand proved his undoing as another shot went at the 11th.

At that stage Nolan steeled himself, and two great par saves at the 12th and 13th kept him level, before the highlight of his round when he holed a chip from the edge of the 14th for birdie.

Barclay Howard, the 42 year old Scot, also played the Masters course and struggled in the heat, but managed to hold it together for a 74 despite a double bogey after going out of bounds at the eighth, his 17th.