Staff WriterThe Amgen Irish Open teed off in classic fashion at the K Club on Thursday—chaotic, entertaining, and just the right mix of brilliance and blunders.
Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen shrugged off an early double bogey like it was nothing more than a stubbed toe and still carved out a six-under 66 to share the opening-round lead.
Olesen, an eight-time DP World Tour winner, found himself in the drink at the par-three third after what he later described as a “full duffed five iron straight in the water.”
Instead of sulking, he bounced back with birdies at the fourth and fifth, then rolled into the turn with another red number at the ninth. The man was suddenly airborne.
By the time he chipped in at the 14th and then again at the 17th—this one from 16 yards, just for fun—you’d have thought he was auditioning for a short-game trick show. He closed the deal by two-putting from nearly 51 feet on the 18th for his eighth birdie of the day.
“I had some really good breaks out there,” Olesen admitted, still a little bemused by it all. “I holed two chip shots on the back nine, holed a couple of good putts. I didn’t feel like my game was that great actually, but around the turn it definitely got better and I hit some good shots coming in. I had my luck with me today, which is nice.”
Elvira’s Bogey-Free Beauty
Spain’s Nacho Elvira also posted a 66, but his version came without a single blemish. Starting on the 10th tee, the 38-year-old was one under at the turn before shifting gears. He rattled off birdies at the first, then a three-hole tear from the fourth through sixth, before tapping in from five feet at the eighth. Six birdies, zero bogeys, job done.
“I hit the ball pretty decent; like I said, probably the best that I’ve played in the last two, three months,” Elvira said. “I putted really well and I tried not to put myself in dangerous situations. I was in play off the tee pretty much all day. Then the greens are soft; very difficult to control the spin. But they are very receptive, so I took advantage and I made a lot of putts.”
Langasque Joins the Party
As the daylight faded in County Kildare, France’s Romain Langasque joined the party at six under, ensuring the Amgen Irish Open had a three-way logjam at the top. Just a shot behind are England’s Dan Brown, South Africa’s Zander Lombard, France’s Adrien Saddier, and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger at five under. Lombard, still out on the course when play was suspended at 8:10pm, will have a chance to improve his lot when the round resumes.
Birdies for Wishes
It wasn’t just the players cashing in on Thursday. The Birdies for Wishes campaign, backed by Amgen and the DP World Tour, saw 81 birdies and five eagles on the par-five 18th alone, raising €25,800 for Make-A-Wish Ireland.
Ambassadors Shane Lowry, Pádraig Harrington, and Séamus Power chipped in nine birdies between them, tacking on another €4,500.
All told, the Amgen Irish Open is shaping up like a pint of Guinness—smooth, a little unpredictable, and best enjoyed over four days.
If day one is anything to go by, we’re in for a leaderboard as lively as the K Club’s evening pint-pouring.
