EUROPEAN TOUR NEWSPAUL McGINLEY refused to blame the tricky conditions for a disappointing opening round at the Saint-Omer Open yesterday. He laboured to a three-over-par 74 to finish six shots off the lead - held by Roope Kakko - on a miserably wet day in northern France.

The 41-year-old hit six bogeys and three birdies in an inconsistent round, but came within millimetres of an eagle on the par-five last. "It's a difficult course but I made silly mistakes and paid the price," said McGinley. "I had three three-putts and a shot out of bounds and I struggled with the pace of the greens all day. They were much slower than in the pro-am yesterday. The weather was very tough. We played the first five holes in a complete downpour and after that it was showers."

Kakko, of Finland, did not drop a shot in his round of 68 - one of only two players, alongside John Morgan, to finish bogey-free. Morgan and Marcus Higley are tied for second on two-under with another Finn, Mikko Korhonen and Adrien Bernadet (France).