GOLF/West of Ireland championship:If the weather - hazy sunshine with just a slight breeze that came into play on the final stretch of holes - was untypical of what we have traditionally come to expect from the West of Ireland at Rosses Point, where it is customary for essential items like waterproofs, woolly hats and mittens not only to be stuffed into the golf bag but invariably used, it didn't exactly lead to players making hay.

In fact, less than a dozen players - 10 in all - managed to break par, testimony to the challenge that this links, even on a benign day, presents. The weather wasn't the only unusual happening.

While modern-day championships tend to be dominated by subtle young players with their eyes dreamily fixed on a possible professional career, yesterday's first-round leader of the Standard Life-sponsored event has no such aspirations.

Royal Dublin's Niall Lavin, a 46-year-old one-handicapper who spends his days selling cars, shot a best-of-the-day three-under-par 68. It was a round of contradictions. He did so without managing to birdie any of the three par-fives and, more impressively, by covering the closing six holes (the toughest part of the course) in three under, featuring four birdies and a bogey.

It left him a shot clear of two current internationals, Noel Fox and Stuart Paul, and also David Kelleher, a former Leinster interprovincial, and Balbriggan's Robert Cannon, recently promoted to the Irish squad.

"I putted well today," admitted Lavin. Determined not to lose the run of himself, however, he added: "But I could shoot millions tomorrow." Yesterday, though, he could do little wrong. An opening hole birdie was followed by 10 successive pars before he dropped a shot at the 12th.

The bogey spurred him into action as he grabbed back-to-back birdies at the 13th and 14th and also birdied the 16th before dropping a shot at the difficult 17th only to recover it at the last.

While Lavin refused to get carried way with his round, some real heavyweights were breathing down his neck in the quest for the medal as leading strokeplay qualifier, even if simply making it into the matchplay is the main concern.

Fox, a winner of this championship in 1998, drove the ball well, which is a necessary requirement for constructing any sort of good score on a links in exceptionally good fettle. The Portmarnock player was level after 11 holes but reduced the par-five 12th to a drive and four-iron and two putts for birdie and, then, he finished off by hitting a knocked down wedge approach to the last and holing a 25-footer for birdie on his way to a 69.

Since his win in last year's North of Ireland and elevation to a full Irish cap, Paul is playing more relaxed golf. "I've no more goals and don't feel under pressure," he said. Yesterday, he got off to a stunning start with four successive birdies from the second and, although he came back to earth with back-to-back bogeys on the sixth and seventh, the Tandragee golfer showed his composure by parring the final five holes.

Fox and Paul were joined on the 69 mark by Kelleher - "all I'm looking to do is qualify in the top 64," he admitted - and Cannon, while five Ulster players returned 70s. Among them was Andrew McCormick, who dropped shots on the run-in when finding bunkers on the 14th and 16th , but is still handily placed.

Michael McDermott, the defending champion, was solid rather than spectacular in shooting an opening 73 while Irish close champion Gavin McNeill, who won the national title on this course last June, had a 74.

And Justin Kehoe, the South of Ireland champion, who failed to take advantage of the opening six holes (which include two par-fives) and was actually three-over after seven, turned his round about with an eagle three at the 12th where he hit a four-wood second shot to 20 feet on his way to a 72.

In terms of the most eventful round of the day, the honour probably fell (not for the first time) to Tim Rice. The Limerickman had six bogeys, four birdies and an eagle in a round of 71. The eagle came on the sixth where, after a drive of 280 yards, he proceeded to hole out with his wedge approach.

Meanwhile, the weather wasn't the only kindly aspect to yesterday's play. With nine reserves on-site and on stand-by for drop-outs that didn't materialise, the tournament administrators - thankful for the kind weather - decided to reward them by increasing the field.

The decision was a wise one, the extra men all got home to the 18th before sundown.