01니만, 강풍 속 버디 폭주로 선두권
호아킨 니만은 14번 홀부터 4개의 연속 버디를 터뜨려 5언더파 65타를 기록하며 첫 날 선두를 점했다. 트럼프 인터내셔널 골프링크스 & 호텔의 악조건 속에서도 그는 목표를 선제적으로 제시했다.
홈 영웅이자 2009년 챔피언 셰인 로우리는 67타 3언더파로 마무리했고 더스크 속에서 클럽하우스에 들어왔다. 그는 니만의 2타 뒤에서 남아공의 션 노리스와 함께 있다. 폴란드의 아드리안 메롱크(2022년 챔피언), 오스트리아의 막시밀리안 슈타인레크너, 이탈리아의 레나토 파라토레도 3언더파로 진행 중이다.
로우리는 자신의 전략을 잘 실행한 것에 만족했다. 39세의 아일랜드 선수는 이 대회를 아마추어 시절인 2009년 우승한 이후 매해 참가했으며, DP World Tour 시대에 2승을 차지한 아일랜드 공화국의 첫 선수가 되려는 목표를 품고 있다.
북아일랜드의 톰 맥키빈은 2언더파로 니만으로부터 3타 뒤에 있고, 수비 챔피언 로리 매킬로이는 1언더파 위치에 있다.
02특별한 샷들과 링크스 날씨
토마스 데트리는 10번 홀에서 러프에서 227야드를 날린 세컨드 샷이 홀에 굴러 들어가면서 시즌 4번째 알바트로스를 기록했다. 진정한 링크스 골프의 묘미였다.
영국 제도의 해안 코스들은 링크스 조건으로 유명하고, 목요일은 그 특징을 완벽히 보여줬다. 강풍은 일부 지역에서 혼란을 야기했고, 심지어 세계 최고의 선수들도 퍼팅에 애를 먹었다.
로리 매킬로이는 파4 6번 홀에서 그린을 넘겨 티샷을 했을 정도로 공격적이었다. 같은 조의 로우리도 15피트 거리에 티샷을 올려놨다. 세계 최고의 선수들의 자신감을 엿볼 수 있는 장면들이었다.
패트릭 리드는 60피트 거리에서 능선을 넘어 빗바람과 강풍 속에서도 퍼팅을 결정했고, 리쿠야 호시노는 8번 홀의 좋지 않은 라이에서도 결과를 냈다. 골프는 미친 만큼 광기 있는 스포츠라는 것을 밥 맥인타이어의 경기로 보여주는 날이었다.
03Original (English) — DP World Tour
Joaquin Niemann led the way, home heroes were in the mix and Thomas Detry landed a big bird on day one of the Amgen Irish Open.
Here is everything you need to know from Thursday at Trump Interational Golf Links & Hotel, Ireland, Doonbeg.
Niemann produced a late birdie burst to card a 65 and lead the way after day one. The Chilean made four birdies in a row from the 14th to get to five under and set the target on a day when the wind made scoring difficult. The conditions also led to unavoidable delays and some players will have to return early on day two to complete their opening rounds. Home hero and 2009 champion Shane Lowry was in the clubhouse after completing his 67 in the fading light and he sat two shots back alongside South African Shaun Norris. Pole Adrian Meronk - the 2022 champion - Austrian Maximilian Steinlechner and Italian Renato Paratore were also at three under with holes still to play.
Lowry was delighted to execute his plan as he led the home charge after the opening day. The 39-year-old famously won this event as an amateur in 2009 and has played every edition since as he looks to become the first player from the Republic of Ireland to win it twice in the DP World Tour era. This week's layout is a single loop, with the wind tending to be with you on the front nine and into on the back, and Lowry was pleased with how he tackled the challenge. "It was pretty good," he said. "Look, you knew going out that you needed to make some birdies early on on those par fivess that were downwind. I felt like I did that. Then when I turned around, I felt like I did a solid job of making pars and trying to get to the clubhouse as quick as I could. I'm happy with my score." Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin was one shot further back at two under, one ahead of defending champion Rory McIlroy.
When Thomas Detry hit his second from the rough on the tenth from 227 yards, there did not look to be much chance it would go in the hole. It went left and trundled and scurried at pace but all of a sudden it found itself on line and we had the fourth albatross of the season. A proper links shot.
The coasts of the British Isles are known not just for the links golf courses they produce but the links conditions and Thursday was a prime example, with wind causing chaos in some quarters.
And once our players could get round to putting, it was proving a challenge even for the world's best.
Even in tough conditions, these guys are not afraid to take the course on, as McIlroy showed when he drove through the green at the par-four sixth.
And not to be outdone, in the very next group Lowry put his tee shot to 15 feet. These boys are good.
60 feet away, over the ridge, blowing a gale, rain coming in - never in doubt for Patrick Reed.
Rikuya Hoshino didn't have much of a lie on the eighth. It didn't matter.
Golf is as mad as it is maddening - just ask Bob MacIntyre.
