Dunne leads by one shot in Turkey
Paul Dunne fired seven-under par 64 on the opening day of the Turkish Airlines Open on Thursday.
BELEK (AFP) - Ireland s Paul Dunne boosted his hopes of appearing in next month s season-ending European Tour event with a bogey-free seven-under par 64 on the opening day of the Turkish Airlines Open on Thursday.
The 25-year-old began and ended his round in Belek with birdies to head the 78-player field by a shot in ideal scoring conditions on the Regnum Caya course.
Fellow Irishman Padraig Harrington along with defending champion Justin Rose and Denmark s Thorbjorn Olesen, who won he event two years ago, are just a shot further back after rounds of 65.
Double major winning Martin Kaymer produced his lowest Tour opening round all season to be among seven players signing for five-under par 66s.
Dunne s score is his lowest first round since a similar 64 on his professional debut at the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links in Scotland while he closed with a blistering career-low 61 just over a year ago to deny Rory McIlroy in capturing the British Masters crown.
Dunne arrived in Turkey lying 54th on the Tour s Race to Dubai but having managed just two top-10s in his 20 prior tournaments this year and needing to be inside the leading 60 at the close of next week s Nedbank Challenge in South Africa to be assured of heading to the Dubai Race decider.
"My iron play was pretty good today and that was the biggest thing I did out there well," he said.
"The overall game is also a lot better as I had a six-week competitive stretch a while ago and it was as bad as I have had but then a few good weeks here and it turns out to be a great year.
"I played in the DP World last year for the first time and I would love to be back there in a few weeks while a win would tick off a good few of those boxes."
Harrington began his round with three birdies in succession while he also birdied the fifth as the 47-year old seeks to win for a first time since capturing the 2016 Portugal Masters.
"The birdies I made were all from pretty short distance starting with nothing more than 12-feet on four of my first five holes while I holed a couple of long ones near the end including that 25-footer on 17," said Harrington.
Since returning to Europe in missing the cut at the PGA Championship Harrington has produced three top-10s in six events.
"Without a doubt, on more European?style golf courses, just the slightly slower greens does make all the difference to my game," he said.
"It gives me quite a bit of freedom on the greens and around the greens to get up?and?down."
Rose capped his round holing a 39-yard wedge shot for an eagle two at the par-4 fourth hole and then managed four birdies also in a bogey-free round.
"I probably drove it better last year as I didn t drive it particularly well today but my iron play was good," said Rose.
"Holing out for eagle on No. 4 really got things going and I then made a birdie off the back of that and so 3-under through five, I felt like I was up and running."
Victory this week along the shores of the Mediterranean would see the Englishman return to world No. 1.
