Golf:Pádraig Harrington gave a decent account of himself, with only his putting stroke out of kilter, and returned a four under par 68 at the "easier" Marly Course at the €1.25million Vivendi Cup on the outskirts Paris.
Harrington is playing in the pro-am style event at Golf de Joyenval after failing to reach this week's Tour Championship in Atlanta, the final event of the lucrative FedEx Cup Series.
The world number 22 is using this week as his final event before next week's Ryder Cup and he enjoyed seven birdies and two dropped shots to be alongside fellow Dubliner Paul McGinley, who also played the 6,729-yard Marly course today.
Harrington said: “If I had putted well it would have been a tremendous score — you have to hole putts to shoot a low number. I could see the two weeks of practice I’ve just done and I got stalled over the ball a bit, but another three rounds will do me no end of good.”
Gary Murphy was a shot further back on three under after his efforts on the more difficult Retz Course. It was a welcome sub par round for the Kilkenny pro who is running out of time to save his tour card.
Peter Lawrie signed with a two over 74 on the same course, while Simon Thornton leaked shots coming home before carding a three over 75 on the Retz.
Over half the field were on course to break par over the two courses, and on a day of low scoring, Sweden's Johan Edfors blazed a trail with an 11 under 61.
Edfors had five birdies in an outward 31 and then started for home with three more birdies and an eagle.
The European Tour’s first-ever 59 was a possibility at that stage, but the former Scottish Open and British Masters champion bogeyed the next before finishing with two more birdies.
It gave him a two-shot lead over England’s David Dixon, while the scoring was such that Harrington did not even make the top 20. France's Jean-Francois Remesy and England's John Parry tied for third after shooting 64s.
“That is pretty good - I played really solid today actually,” said Edfors after his round. “I holed a couple of good putts, but still a little bit disappointed. I don't think I'll ever get a better chance to shoot 59 than I had today.
“I was ten under with five to go and I had 80 metres left on 14 in the middle of the fairway and I bogeyed that one and then I birdied 17 and 18 coming in. So felt a little bit better but had a really good chance for a 59 there, I was playing really nice.
“So I really felt that I had a good chance there.
I mean, I was stroking the putter really good, but unfortunately three putted 14 there, still nice, but the good finish with birdie on 17 and 18.”