So just five players managed sub-par rounds from the first half of the draw, while more than twice as many - 11, to be precise - from the second part of the draw, playing in the afternoon when the sun appeared, bettered the course's par.

And when all the numbers were crunched, four men - Peter Hanson, Simon Dyson, Peter Gustafsson and Andres Romero - shared the first round lead after shooting 68s, four under.

As anticipated, and despite more favourable weather than that forecast, the course generally won, with the first round average spiralling to 75.55. The most difficult hole proved to the be the par-four eighth, which played to an average 4.48, while the 17th wasn't far behind, averaging 4.41. "I haven't played rough like this, this severe, since Bethpage," said Thomas Bjorn, the defending champion, referring to the US Open in 2002.

"When you get a course like this, you get out there, keep your head down and keep grinding." There were plenty of players willing to grind out scores, although the disasters that befell Damian Mooney epitomised how this course can capitalise on any error. The unfortunate Mooney signed for a 92, which included a 10 on the long ninth, when he lost two balls, and a nine on the 18th.

"It was one of those days. When I tried to hit it straight it went right, when I tried to hit it right it went straight," lamented Mooney, a winner on the EuroPro Tour last season.

So, for the most part, it was a day when players sought to steer a safe course, avoid such disasters and attempt to take any opportunities that presented themselves.

For Padraig Harrington, though, it proved to be a frustrating day, especially on the greens where he took 33 putts, including three three-putts. In signing for a 73, however, Harrington knew that it could have been worse. At least he hadn't played his way out of the tournament. "It is well in there," remarked Harrington of his score, adding: "If I can

keep playing the same way over the next couple of days, things will even out and I'll make a few more birdies."

In fairness, Harrington took his problems on the greens on the chin. Poa on the greens? Disobedient putter? Nope, he blamed himself.

"I'd a number of putts, short putts as well, where I was driving them through the break. So I should work a little bit on the pace of the short putts. I was little bit anxious over the putts, trying to hit them into the hole rather

than rolling them in."

Harrington, in fact, was motoring along quite nicely when he reached the 10th. He was one under at that point, only to run up a double-bogey six from nowhere. His approach ran through the green, finishing a yard off the surface in what he termed "a real ugly lie". In attempting to hit a pitch-and-run recovery, he duffed it onto the green, where he then three-putted.

"That probably killed my momentum," he admitted. Indeed, despite having a number of birdie putts inside 10 feet after that, he didn't make any and, in the end, was forced to salvage pars after wayward drives on the 17th and 18th holes.

Paul McGinley's 72 was the best score recorded by the home contingent, while Harrington was joined on

the 73 mark by club professional John Dwyer. Graeme McDowell and Gary Murphy recorded 74s.

McDowell looked set to record a sub-par round, only to stumble coming in with a bogey, double-bogey finish.

"I'm playing well enough to get myself back into it," said McDowell. Only two players, Dyson and Hanson, managed to navigate a route around the course without incurring a bogey. Fittingly, the two were among the leaders. Dyson, in fact, reckoned it to be the best round of his season so far.

"I haven't played anywhere tougher all season. No, definitely not . . . if you go in the rough, you get severely punished. But I think everyone is enjoying the challenge of playing such a tough course. Every course for the rest of the year won't seem that bad now," said Dyson.

Dyson puts his improved form down to a new outlook. He's gone from party animal to fitness fanatic. "You know, you're a 24-, 25-year-old lad earning money that you've never dreamed of and you're seeing the world. It's very tempting at times," he said.

It was seeing how his friend Nick Doughtery changed his lifestyle and became a winner on tour that prompted Dyson's transformation.

"All of a sudden, he's going to the gym and earning a million quid a year and, I'm like, 'I want a bit of it'. I wanted a

piece of what they were getting." The change in attitude and lifestyle has led to Dyson staying away from any of the night spots in Adare, and instead cooking dinner in a house he has rented by the seventh fairway.

"Two years ago, I'd have said the money was important to me . . . but, now, it is (trying to win) titles. Definitely. There is no better feeling when you're standing there and holing the winning putt and everyone is applauding you and you're there with the trophy. It's a fantastic feeling." Nobody needs to tell the new Dyson that his race is only one-quarter run. If he is to get his hands on the Waterford Crystal trophy come Sunday, he'll have to conquer the course every day . . . and stay ahead of the posse.