Howell back to his best

England's David Howell rediscovered his form in dramatic fashion with a seven-under-par 64 on the first day of the 3 Irish Open.

The 35-year-old from Surrey had five birdies and an eagle three at the 16th in a bogey-free round, to grab a one-shot lead over Australia's Richard Green and Irishman Damien McGrane.

Howell, the 2006 European PGA champion and a star of the European Ryder Cup-winning team at the K Club that year, has slumped to 479 in the world after injuries and struggles for form.

But he has hinted that a return to his best golf may not be too far away and he heads a world-class field in Killarney.

"I've never wanted to give up, but it's crossed my mind that if I carry on playing as I did last year I wouldn't have a career to be worried about," said Howell. He has even turned to after-dinner speaking, but when asked if the comedy circuit was becoming a possible alternative, Howell replied: "Not yet - I think my golf's been a bit of a comedy for the last couple of years."

Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke carded a five-under-par 66 to maintain the good form that could land him a surprise spot in the European Ryder Cup team.

Clarke has been chosen as one of three non-playing vice-captains by European captain Colin Montgomerie but he still has time to make the team for Celtic Manor.

"I will play if I qualify and I think Monty will want me to," Clarke said. "We spoke at length about it and Monty's said he wants me there one way or another."

Old school

Green carded seven birdies on a course he relishes. "There are some courses out there that have got so long over the last few years, I feel a bit inferior because I'm not a long hitter," the left-hander said.

"This is a nice old course, for a change, a little bit old school."

Former Open champion Paul Lawrie is among a group of 12 players alongside Clarke on five-under. Rory McIlroy is a further stroke back.

But Justin Rose's hopes of qualifying automatically for the Ryder Cup team suffered a blow with a round of 74.

Last year's runner-up Robert Rock fared even worse - despite grabbing four birdies in the last six holes. He was disqualified for making a mistake on his scorecard after shooting a 65.

Checking through his card, tournament officials discovered that Rock had transposed his scores on the 14th and 15th holes. He had signed for a four and a three, when in fact he had taken a three and a four.

Tournament director David Probyn said that "the total was right. But the hole scores he signed for were wrong so he was disqualified."

Missed it

Rock said: "What else can you do? I've gone through the same process I always do and I've done a lot over eight years, but this time I just missed it. I didn't have a clue until it was pointed out to me that the scores were different."

With massive understatement he added: "It's disappointing, I must admit."