The Nature of the beast decrees that only the bravest should set forth in search of the title. But nobody was quite prepared for the vagaries of the weather which ultimately toyed with the players and those entrusted in organising the first round of the strokeplay qualifying in the West of Ireland Amateur Championship, sponsored by Ulster Bank, at Enniscrone yesterday.

Snow showers early in the day contrived to stop play for over two-and-a-half hours and ultimately reduced the first round to a composite nine holes. Folk who have been around this championship, the traditional start to the domestic golfing calendar, for as long as they can remember professed to never seeing its likes before. In terms of course management, it should have been a day for wise old heads. Instead, Justin Kehoe, an 18-year-old UCD student from Birr, Co Offaly, showed some far more experienced campaigners just how it should be done by shooting a quite magnificent (in the conditions) round of one-under par 36. "That's unbelievable to shoot under par," remarked Irish international Noel Fox, while another of the young guns, Gavin Lunny, claimed Kehoe's round was "the equivalent of five or six under par".

It certainly was a bizarre day, as players battled, mostly in vain, to contend with the elements. Some 21 competitors had started their "rounds" when the snow hit the county Sligo links. That was at 8.30 a.m. and, almost immediately, the championship committee went into conference. By 11.00 am play was able to resume and the option of reducing the first round qualifying to nine holes - made up of the first, second and then the 12th to the 18th with a par of 37 - was taken up.

Those who had started their rounds before the snow came were told to start all over again. Kehoe, who had only hit one non-counting shot, his drive down the first, was arguably the least affected. After spending a couple of hours in the clubhouse chatting with his friends, he started all over again and showed a wise head on young shoulders by shooting three birdies and two bogeys on his way to a 36, giving him a one stroke lead over Tramore's Alan Thomas and former professional Paddy Gribben.

Kehoe had long finished his round by the time Gribben stood on the first tee. "I'd gladly have bought a 37 if it was offered to me at that stage," quipped Gribben, a current international. Indeed, some of his senior team colleagues also girded their loins: Noel Fox and Bryan Omelia produced very satisfactory rounds of 38; Andrew McCormick and national champion Ken Kearney had rounds of 39, while defending champion Jody Fanagan and Eddie Power, who won the Irish close here in 1993, were comfortably in the pack on the 41 mark. Given that survival in to the matchplay stage is pretty much their main priority, all were relieved to be on course to achieve that objective.

Yet, the round conjured up by Kehoe, an Irish boys' international, produced much commendation. He hinted at his promise in the `South' last year when beating Fanagan in the fourth round, but yesterday's round required mental fortitude of the highest order.

"They were undoubtedly the toughest conditions I've ever experienced on a golf course," said Kehoe. "The ball was moving on the greens and you had to be careful to stand back. The important thing was to keep the ball in play and, if not making par, to limit the damage."

In the circumstances, it would have been remarkable to go through the curtailed round without dropping a shot and he inevitably did so at the 15th, where he drove into a bunker, and dropped another at the par three 17th when he pulled his three iron tee-shot to the left. However, he got back into red figures, the only player to accomplish the feat, by sending his eight-iron approach to the last to 20 feet and sinking the putt.

Gribben, who joined Thomas on the 37 mark, was one of the more solid performers. He had seven pars in his round, and one birdie - at the 14th where he wedged to three feet - and a bogey at the 15th where he drove into a bunker. Power, who was in his three-ball, looked set to join him on that score until a triple bogey seven on the last where he "knocked the ball on the head" and lost it.

At least Power is still very much in the hunt to make the matchplay stages which commence tomorrow.