Séamas Power and Niall Kearney lead the Irish challenge after day one of the Horizon Irish Open at Mount Juliet.
Power and Kearney both carded 68s for rounds of -4.
PGA Tour-based Power, who is appearing at the Irish Open for the first time since 2019, had three birdies and two bogeys in the opening nine holes. Further birdies at 10, 16 and 17 meant the Waterford man finished with an opening round of 68.
Thirty-four-year-old Niall Kearney joins Power on -4. The word-ranked number 498 had a bogey at the eight. On the back nine he carded 5 birdies eventually singing for a 68.
US Senior Open Champion Pádraig Harrington, back on Irish soil since his Senior major win last Sunday, was two-under at the turn following birdies at the fifth and eight holes – both par fives – and ended his first round on -2
John Murphy shot a two-under par round of 70, with 69s for Shane Lowry and Jonathan Caldwell seeing them end the day on -1.
Irish amateurs Mark Power and Colin Campbell Jnr both signed for rounds of level par 72, as did Cormac Sharvin.
David Higgins began with an opening round of +6, meaning he has a lot to do in round two on Friday.
