IRISH ONE BEHIND IN SCOTLAND

GOLF IRISH duo Paul Mcginley and Padraig Harrington are just one shot off the lead after the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The former Ryder Cup captain and the favourite to take that role in 2020 both shot rounds of 69 at Kingsbarns to finish on three under, one behind Australia’s Marcus Fraser and England’s Matt Wallace.

Only 24 players in the 168-strong field broke par as the wind made scoring difficult.

Fraser carded a 68 at Carnoustie, traditionally the hardest of the three courses used for the pro-am event. Wallace compiled his 68 on the Old Course at St Andrews.

Mcginley and Padraig Harrington are alongside Phachara Khongwatmai, Jinho Choi and Matthias Schwab on the leaderboard.

Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton, who is seeking a third straight win in the event, is a shot further back on two under alongside reigning US Open and US PGA champion Brooks Koepka.

Hatton’s Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood recovered from a poor start to play his last eight holes at Kingsbarns in four under par to record an opening 71. Tony Finau, who beat Fleetwood in the singles in the Ryder Cup on Sunday, carded a 73 at the same venue.

Fraser said: “It’s brutal out there. It’s probably the toughest wind I’ve played this course in today.”