Paul Dunne frustrated by missed putts at the Portugal Open

Paul Dunne admitted he was getting agitated by a string of near-misses with his putter during the opening round of the Portugal Masters.

The Irishman, who only turned professional after Europe's emphatic Walker Cup victory over the United States in September, lies four shots off the pace following a three-under 68 at Oceanico Victoria GC.

Dunne, up to 173rd in the Race to Dubai standings from his last two performances, made a flying start to the day by holing his second shot at the par-four tenth and nailing a 40-foot putt at the next. 

Three birdies in a four-hole stretch parachuted the 22-year-old in to a share of the lead, only to double-bogey the next and fail to pick a stroke after reaching the turn. 

"I played well and gave myself loads of chances but just didn't make anything," Dunne said. "I played well on the front nine and I only missed one green, but ended up one over for nine.

"I gave myself good chances, hitting good putts but just grazing a lot of edges. 68's a good round but it could've been a lot better."

A big finish this week could still see Dunne break in to the top 110 and earn him a European Tour card for next season without the need to go to next month's qualifying school, although the Irishman is purely focused on his own performance.

"When I'm out there I'm not worried about that [Race to Dubai]," Dunne said. "I just get a little agitated when I start missing putts. Over the past couple of weeks it's been the same thing, they just keep hitting the edges and I'm having a tough time staying patient.

"That's something I'll need to work on, especially when you have a day like today where you shoot really low but you're not.

"I'm at a decent score but instead of relaxing and playing well you're putting too much pressure on yourself to make each 15-footer."

'End of the road'

One player below the cut-off line not fighting for his future this week is Damien McGrane, who has revealed he has no plans to try and retain his card for the next season.

The Irishman, who has been a regular on the European Tour for the past 12 seasons, got off to a steady start to the week by following two early birdies with a chip-in eagle at the 17th to open with a bogey-free first round 68.

Although McGrane, currently 168th in the standings, could still move inside the top 110 and avoid Q-School with a strong showing in Portugal this week, the 44-year-old admits he's already made his mind up about his future.

"I have no problem with my position and will step aside," McGrane told the EuropeanTour website. "I feel I should just get out of the way and let the big guns fire.

"I've had a great run, the European Tour's been very good to me. I've had a great innings and I've appreciated everything that I've got out of the game.

"It [his mind] has been made up a while but I still wanted to keep my own self-respect and go out and compete the best I can.

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"I still want to compete, but it's a different game today to when I started 13 years ago. The players are getting younger and more powerful and I'm getting older and shorter. Every week I play I realise I'm slipping further and further out of touch.

The game is in good hands in order for these guys to get their opportunity on the big tour, guys like me have to step aside and let them off."

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