GOLF: Ireland's Stephen Browne and Peter Lawrie are just two shots off the pace after impressive first round 67s in yesterday's Andalucia Open de España Valle Romano at San Roque Club.
Setting the pace at seven under par 65 are Portugal's José-Filipe Lima and England's Graeme Storm, one clear of a group of four including Raul Ballesteros - nephew of Seve - Miguel Angel Jimenez, Juan Parron, Miles Tunnicliff of England and South African Titch Moore.
Colin Montgomerie was six under after 12 holes but was rocked by a double bogey at the 14th and ended with a 68.
In a flawless first round Browne reached the turn in 34 after birdies at the second and sixth and three more on the back nine brought him home in 33.
Lawrie, meanwhile, mixed three birdies with two bogeys in an opening nine of 35 but blitzed the back nine in four-under-par 32.
David Higgins is well in touch at two under-par 70 but Damien McGrane 73, and Michel Hoey on two over par 74 have plenty of work to do if they are to make the cut this evening.
Meanwhile, British Amateur Champion Brian McElhinney got his professional career off to a disappointing start at the European Challenge Tour's Tessali-Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata yesterday.
The 23 year-old from Donegal saw his round undone by two double bogeys as he posted a six over par 77 at Riva dei Tessali.
Starting on the back nine, McElhinney showed some early promise by opening up with four pars but then found the trees on the 14th and quickly dropped two shots. He steadied the ship for the remainder of the back nine but then dropped further down the field on the front nine with a bogey on the second hole, a birdie on the fourth which was followed by dropped shots on the fifth and seventh before another double bogey on the eighth.
McElhinney, who featured in the Britain and Ireland Walker Team last season, was naturally disappointed with his first round, but is level-headed enough to realise how tough it will be to make the huge leap from the amateur to professional ranks.
"That's the punishing thing about strokeplay and that's what I have to get used to if I am going to progress out here. I played with Johan Axgren and he is leading the Challenge Tour by quite a way at the moment so that has given a fair idea of what I have to do to play to a good standard out here.
"I am playing for myself now and I have to get used to that as well. There were a lot of team events in the amateur game, but out here every player is playing for themselves so it is a big difference."
While McElhinney struggled on his professional debut, England's Matthew Richardson, a Walker Cup team-mate of McElhinney's, put on a brilliant display at the Metaponto Golf Club to join his countryman Lee S James atop the leaderboard after an first round score of seven under par 65.
Colm Moriarty, meanwhile, fired a level par 71 at Tessali, with Justin Kehoe three shots behind him over the same course. Michael McGeady, a clubmate of McElhinney, posted a one over par 73 at Metaponto.
Scotland's Kathryn Imrie and Spain's Tabia Mayor share the lead at one-under-par 71 after the first round of the Tenerife Women's Open at Abama.
Ireland's Rebecca Coakley is three shots back after a two-over-par 74. The former Irish amateur champion had a disappointing first nine of 39 that included three bogeys, a double bogey and two birdies but steadied the ship in a back-nine of one under par 35.
Tour veteran Jeff Sluman birdied his last six holes to grab an early share of the first-round lead at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans yesterday.
The 48-year-old American, who teed off at the par-four 10th, made the most of receptive greens at the English Turn Golf and Country Club to complete a six-under-par 66.
Level with Sluman at the top of a tightly-bunched leaderboard were compatriots Lucas Glover, Olin Browne, Tommy Armour III, Nick Watney and Robert Garrigus.
Amongst the late starters Graeme McDowell had moved to five-under-par after 11 holes while Pádraig Harrington was two-under-par after 14.
