Andy DevaneyJoaquin Niemann leads the Irish Open after an opening 65 built on a four-birdie burst that arrived just as Doonbeg appeared determined to turn Thursday into a negotiation rather than a scorecard.
On a day of difficult wind and unavoidable delays at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel, Ireland, the Chilean reached five under and gave the field its target.
That late run separated Niemann from a leaderboard crowded with players who had spent most of the day containing damage rather than accumulating birdies. Shane Lowry, the 2009 champion, reached the clubhouse at three under after a 67 in fading light, level with Shaun Norris and two behind.
Niemann saves his best golf for the finish
For much of the round, Niemann’s card was tidy rather than spectacular.
He got up and down from sand at the par-five fourth and produced an excellent recovery at the sixth to turn in 34. A three-putt on the 12th brought his only dropped shot and appeared, briefly, to have checked the momentum.
Instead, the opposite happened.
At the 14th, Niemann fired his tee shot to three feet. A sharp approach at the next produced another chance, another excellent tee shot followed at the 16th, and a wedge to two feet on the 17th completed a four-hole burst that moved him rapidly from contender to clubhouse target.
“I was hitting the ball nicely, keeping it under the wind. I just did that for the last few holes,” Niemann said.
It was a neat summary of a round in which trajectory mattered almost as much as direction. Doonbeg in wind is not a place that rewards unnecessary height, unnecessary spin or, for that matter, unnecessary optimism.
Lowry stays close after a very long day
Lowry began quickly, which proved useful once the round developed into a test of patience as much as shot-making.
He holed a long putt at the second, birdied the fourth and drove the par-four sixth to create another gain. Bogeys at the seventh and ninth prevented the start becoming something more substantial, although a birdie at the eighth and another from eight feet at the 14th kept him firmly within range.
“I honestly didn’t think we were going to get finished. That’s probably the longest round of golf I ever played, in a three ball anyway. I’m happy with my score,” Lowry said.
Three under was worth rather more than it might look on a calm scorecard. The wind disrupted scoring, play and eventually the schedule, leaving part of the field to return to complete the opening round.
Norris and the unfinished challengers remain in range
Shaun Norris also reached three under after mixing birdies at the fourth and eighth with a hole-out from off the green at the sixth.
His bogey at the 15th was immediately repaired with a birdie at the next, keeping him alongside Lowry.
Adrian Meronk, Maximilian Steinlechner and Renato Paratore were also at three under, although all three still had holes to complete when play was halted.
That qualification matters. Niemann owns the lead, but the first-round picture is not yet entirely developed. Links golf is quite capable of changing its mind before breakfast.
McIlroy keeps the tournament alive
Rory McIlroy’s opening round was less clean, but not costly enough to remove him from the conversation.
A double bogey at the 13th left him trying to recover two shots before the close. He did not quite manage it, though he still finished under par.
“I felt like I struck the ball well today and hit some good shots coming down the stretch. The putting’s always hard in the wind as well. Look, I hung in there, shot under par, and at least don’t feel like I’m out of the tournament. A good day tomorrow gets me right back in it.”
That assessment feels about right. At this stage, survival is useful currency, particularly when the conditions have already made a 65 look conspicuously good.
A familiar chance for Niemann
Niemann arrived with three top-ten finishes from his previous four DP World Tour starts, including a tie for seventh at the U.S. Open, his best finish in a Major.
He is chasing a second DP World Tour title after winning the 2024 ISPS HANDA Australian Open, and his first round at Doonbeg offered another reminder of why he remains dangerous when scoring becomes awkward: the ball flight is controlled, the patience is usually sound and the acceleration can arrive very quickly.
Round one is due to resume at 9:00 am local time, with round-two tee times unchanged.
There is still plenty of golf to be played, and some of Thursday’s golf has not technically finished yet. But Niemann has already completed the useful part: he gave everybody else a number to chase, then left the wind to explain the rest.
