Staff WriterOliver Farr may not have won a trophy since the days when TikTok was still just a niche app for teenagers, but the Welshman is suddenly looking every bit the man to beat after an opening 67 gave him a one-shot lead at the Irish Challenge in Co. Meath.
At Killeen Castle – a place that sounds like it should be hosting medieval jousts rather than a golf tournament – Farr navigated blustery winds, small greens, and a leaderboard as cramped as a Ryanair boarding queue.
His card showed an eagle, four birdies, and just one blemish as he edged ahead of a pack of eight players tied for second, including Irish favourites Jack Madden and Alex Maguire.
Starting on the 10th, Farr wasted no time, birdieing his opening hole and picking up another at the 17th before rattling in a third at 18. Then, just for dramatic effect, he eagled the par-five second to make it four gains in as many holes.
The lone bogey came at the fifth, but he immediately punched back with a birdie at the sixth – the sort of stubborn response that wins golf tournaments.
“It was one of those days where I played really well and it’s always nice to get off to a good start,” Farr said. “It wasn’t an easy day with the wind. I felt like it picked up towards the end there.
“It’s my first time playing here. I played a couple of practice rounds and I feel like your iron play needs to be good. The greens are quite small and there were a lot of pins today where you needed to be sensible, which was my game plan.”
Farr’s last sip from the winner’s chalice came in 2019 at the Lalla Aïcha Challenge Tour, a victory that propelled him to the DP World Tour. Since then, 2024 was a grind and 2025 has been a patchwork of invites on the HotelPlanner Tour.
Now, the 37-year-old is hoping this start at the Irish Challenge can relight the fire before the season’s home stretch.
“It’s been a strange year for me,” he admitted. “I’ve never had this in my HotelPlanner Tour and DP World Tour career, so it’s been hard to adapt.
“I’ve not played as well as I’d have wanted to, but every week is an opportunity and there’s not many left now so I need to get my foot down.
“I didn’t have any expectations of a score today which was probably a good thing, so I’ll try to do the same tomorrow.”
Breathing down his neck are Maguire and Madden, alongside England’s John Gough, George Bloor, Will Hopkins, and Will Enefer, Scotland’s Sam Locke, and Denmark’s Jeppe Kristian Andersen.
Round two of the Irish Challenge gets underway at 7:30 am local time, with Farr heading out at 9:30 am alongside Germany’s Maximilian Schmitt and England’s Gary King. If his opening round is anything to go by, they’d better be ready to chase.
