Ireland's Stephen Browne finds himself just three shots of the pace set by Denmark's Thomas Bjorn in the opening round of the Johnnie Walker Championship at windy Gleneagles today.

Browne could have been even closer to Bjorn had he not slipped up on the third and 13th but the round of 68 is the ideal start for the 27-year-old.

The more experienced Paul McGinley is also in the mix on three-under. The Dubliner's card shows four birdies and is sullied only by one bogey, on the third.

Peter Lawrie and Gary Murphy are the only other Irish under-par, after a 71 and 72 respectively.

Colin Montgomerie's hopes of hitting back from his US Open agony with a first win of the year are also very much alive - in spite of another closing six.

After the double-bogey that cost him a first major title on Sunday, Montgomerie this time ran up a bogey on a 533-yard hole where there were a number of eagles during the opening round.

But on the eve of his 43rd birthday the Scottish star still handed in a five-under- par 68 and is only three behind Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, who after what happened in the 2003 Open can appreciate better than most how Montgomerie must be feeling.

A comment to a fan coming off the first green said it all really as the round began.

After pitching to four feet and making the birdie putt the spectator offered a cheery "Well done" to Montgomerie as he walked by.

"Bit better than my last hole, wasn't it?" replied the eight-time European number one, now the holder of an additional record - most runner-up finishes in majors without winning one.

Afterwards he commented: "It was quite difficult to get my focus. Every shot I hit I thought about the last one there (in New York).

"I won't get it out of my system for a long, long time. I might never get it out of my system. If I never win a major that will remain with me — of course it will.

"I need to win one to forget it. Every tournament I play it will ease, but I'll never forget."

Montgomerie birdied the first two holes, in fact, and stood on the final tee six under and joint second.

But he misjudged the wind for his pitch and then failed to get up and down from the bunker over the green.

Bjorn has three second places finishes in majors himself. At Sandwich three years ago he led by three with four to play, but then went bogey, double bogey, bogey and lost by one to Ben Curtis.

"I as much as anybody wanted Monty to win," he said. "I watched it and felt sorry for him. You wanted to jump in the TV and hit the shots for him and do it all over again.

"But things happen in golf. I know that as much as the next guy. He played magnificently and I think every player on this tour feels very much for him.

"He has to take a lot of positives from that. Monty still has it and that is the most important thing.

"Now again we're talking of him as a guy who could win a major championship rather than a guy who should have won majors years ago."

Of the rest of the Irish, David Higgins is one-over, Damien McGrane two-over, and Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey is on five-over par.