The Swiss player shot a course record 64 in the opening round to hold the lead by one shot from a trio of players.

“It’s amazing, I’m really pleased with that round and great to have a start like that,” the 2017 Swiss Challenge winner said. “It was a fantastic morning out there, beautiful weather, great conditions, and my game was brilliant this morning.”

Among the three are Ireland’s Conor Purcell who shot a 65 on Thursday. He is joined on -7 by Frenchman Gary Stal and Stefano Mazzoli.

John Murphy is next best of the home players after shooting a 66. He is one of five players on six-under-par. Scotland’s Craig Ross, Todd Clements of England, Deon Germishuys and Jeon weon Ko of France are all on that score.

Tom McKibbin is next best of the Irish players on five-under-par. Paul McBride, Robert Moran (AM) and Gary Hurley shot 68s today and are currently inside the top-25.

South Africa’s Tristen Strydom recorded his third hole-in-one, and first in Europe, when he aced the par three 17th hole on his way to a three under par round 69.

Select Round one scores (Irish players highlighted)

64 J GIRRBACH (SUI),
65 C PURCELL, S MAZZOLI (ITA), G STAL (FRA),
66 D GERMISHUYS (RSA), J MURPHY, J KO (FRA), C ROSS (SCO), T CLEMENTS (ENG),
67 N KIMSEY (ENG), M ORRIN (ENG), A SADDIER (FRA), T MCKIBBIN, H ELLIS (ENG),
68 P MCBRIDE, R MORAN (AM) (IRL), L VAN MEIJEL (NED), P MEJOW (GER), V GARCIA BROTO (ESP), S DEL VAL (ESP), G HURLEY (IRL), R KAMINSKI (RSA), O FARRELL (ENG), J LONG (ENG),
69 J DE BRUYN (GER), T STRYDOM (RSA), J RUTHERFORD (ENG), R EVANS (ENG), J SAINZ (ESP), D RAVETTO (FRA), M MORUGAN (ESP), R PETERSSON (SWE), C MIVIS (BEL), M MANASSERO (ITA), M ITEN (SUI), J GUMBERG (USA).

Other Irish scores

72 J SUGRUE, R MCGEE, G MOYNIHAN,
73 R MULLARNEY, D MCELROY,
74 R CLARKE, M MCCLEAN,
75 M POWER (AM), C O’ROURKE,
76 M YOUNG, L GREHAN,
77 R DAWSON, C WILLIAMS,
78 L DONNELLY,
82 H FOLEY (AM).

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The tournament returns to the Road to Mallorca International Schedule this year. It will take place on a links course for the first time in the event’s history at the prestigious Portmarnock Links.

McBride made only one Challenge Tour start last season but has been keeping sharp by playing on the Alps Tour. He is excited by the prospect of teeing it up in Dublin at the end of the month.

“It’s great to have a Challenge Tour event in Ireland,” he said. “I’ve played a few events now in Ireland since I turned pro. This year’s event at Portmarnock Links is only five minutes from where I live so it’s great to have it on the schedule.

“We have such a great array of golf courses in Ireland and it’s great to be able to showcase them. This one will showcase everything that people stereotypically know Ireland for.”

Portmarnock provides a real test

The Championship course at Portmarnock Links was designed by two-time Masters Champion and former World Number One Bernhard Langer. It traverses the North Dublin dunes, a natural terrain to please the most ardent of links purists.

It will provide a true test of golf to the stars of the Challenge Tour and McBride believes it is incomparable to any other course on the Road to Mallorca.

“It’s going to be different. It all depends on the conditions,” he said. “If it’s calm, it plays completely different to if there’s wind.

“Portmarnock Links is a great links, it really is. You can’t really compare it to any other course on the Challenge Tour because we don’t play anything like it. It is a proper links golf course; there’s no half-links. It’s fully on the coast, there’s hills, there’s undulations and it’s firm and fast. It’s a really good course.

“You’d love to win the Irish Challenge. You’d love to win anytime on the Challenge Tour, I wouldn’t mind if it was in Italy, France, wherever, I’d like to win one way or another. If I had to pick, I’d pick Ireland but I’m certainly not limiting it to just that.”

The Irish Challenge is the sixth event on the 2021 Road to Mallorca International Schedule. It comprises 26 tournaments in 16 countries across the world.

The top 20 players on the Road to Mallorca Rankings at the conclusion of the Challenge Tour Grand Final at T-Golf & Country Club, Mallorca, will earn full playing privileges on the European Tour in 2022.

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