Todd Clements made two bogeys and five birdies then eagled the par-5 18th to close with a 5-under 66 and take a one shot lead at the Amgen Irish Open. The Englishman has one previous win on the DP World Tour at the 2023 D+D Real Czech Masters.
Spain’s Alejandro del Rey and Finland’s Sami Välimäki are tied in second place at 4-under.
Home favourite and World number 3 Rory McIlroy made three bogeys and signed for a 68 and a share of fourth place at 3-under alongside England’s Marcus Armitage, Italy’s Filippo Cello who stayed bogey-free and South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence.
“Any time you can shoot three under around this place you have to be happy,” said McIlroy.
“The conditions were pretty tough early on and then the wind seemed to settle a little bit those last few holes and it was nice to take advantage of that and play them the way I did.
“Giving those shots away on 14 and 15, to get more than both of them back on the last three holes was a great way to finish and gives me plenty of momentum going into Friday morning.
“It’s nice to get off to a good start (in Northern Ireland) for a change. I enjoyed being out there, the crowds were great and it was great being out there with Tom (McKibbin) as well.
“Really pleased with how I started and hopefully I can continue into the next three days.”
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