Singh on song in Ireland

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Last updated: 16th May 2008

jeev milkha singh

Singh in the bush at 18

Irish Open
First Round leaders
GB and Ire unless stated
-6 JM Singh (Ind)
-6 R Green (Aus)
-4 B Dredge
-4 J Edfors (Swe)
-4 M Lorenzo-Vera (Spn)
-4 M Siem (Ger)

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Jeev Milkha Singh took an eventful route to an opening 66 and a share of the first round lead with Richard Green at the Irish Open.

The Indian came within inches of registering an albatross, then two holes later saved par from the middle of a greenside bush on his final hole.

The highlight of the 37-year-old's flawless round was a run of four birdies followed by an eagle on the 528-yard seventh hole, his 16th, where his second shot finished less than a foot from the hole.

The 2006 Volvo Masters winner looked set to give at least one of those shots back when his approach to the 631-yard 9th landed in the middle of greenside bushes.

But after checking with the referee that he would not break any rules in climbing into the undergrowth, he almost holed out for a birdie. His chip ran more than ten yards past the hole but he sank the putt coming back to keep a bogey off his card.

"The referee told me the way to get in there without touching anything and the chip came out perfectly," said Singh.

"I thought 'okay' I can make six but the putt looked good as soon as I rolled it and that was the story of my day, a lot of great up and downs."

Australian Green, fourth in the Open at Carnoustie last year, birdied four of his first seven holes and had three more birdies in his last five to join Singh at the top of the leaderboard.

Home challenge

The pair are two shots clear of a group of four players that includes Welshman Bradley Dredge - beaten in a play-off here last year - but the home challenge failed to materialise on day one at Adare Manor.

Padraig Harrington became the first Irish winner of this title for a quarter of a century last year and after four Irish winners already on the European Tour in 2008, home hopes are high of keeping the title in Ireland.

But just two Irishmen broke par. Peter Lawrie - winner of the Spanish Open two weeks ago - shot a one-under 71 while Northern Irish teenager Rory McIlroy went one better.

Harrington had a 72 - the same as Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke - and his Ryder Cup colleague and fellow Dubliner Paul McGinley shot an opening 73.

Clarke was critical of the way the course was set up: "The course was ridiculously difficult this afternoon," he said. "It was disappointing.

New tees

"It's a fantastic design and then you have new tees and all of a sudden we are hitting three-irons to flags that are completely inaccessible.

"It takes all the fun away and it takes the ability to shoot a good score away. People come in to watch us make birdies and unfortunately that's just not happening.

"The greens are rock hard. They are designed to be hit by much shorter clubs than we were having to hit.

"I'm very pleased with my score. I could have let it get away from me and I didn't."