(Image by: toddclementsgolf)
After a windy first round at the 2024 Irish Open there is an unlikely leader in the shape of Englishman Todd Clements.
Ranked 291 in the world, Clements is a name unknown to most but after a brilliant first round performance where he eagled the 18th, he will take a one stroke lead into the second round.
Hot on his heels is the duo of Sami Valimaki and Alejandro del Ray who trail the leader by one.
After a brilliant first day of play, here is a recap of the day’s main talking points.
Clements leads after 18 holes, but his lead is slim
The DP World Tour has always been a hotbed of talent and throughout its history it has thrown up a myriad of surprise winners of some of its biggest tournaments.
After the first 18 holes another shock could be in store as little known Todd Clements leads some of Europe’s best by one stroke.
Setting out for his round in the middle of some of the toughest conditions of the day, Clements found Royal County Down right to his liking and he produced some wonderful golf as he powered to the top of the leaderboard.
The highlight of the day came on the 18th where Clements drained an eagle to take the outright lead. Finishing his first round on the front nine, the English youngster battled hard to combine three birdies with two bogeys.
In a position that he has never found himself in before, tomorrow could be a career day as he bids to keep himself ahead of a star-studded field.
Starting one stroke behind Clements is Finnish star Sami Valimaki and Spanish golfer Alejandro del Ray.
At 285 in the world, del Ray is another of the DP World Tour’s unheralded stars but a masterful front nine bought him right into contention. Finding himself right in the mix, the Spaniard managed to keep himself calm and composed as he finished his back nine with eight pars and one birdie.
Looking to launch his career, tomorrow stands to be one of the biggest days of his golfing life.
Sami Valimaki is a two time European Tour winner with his last win coming back at the Qatar Masters in 2023. Used to competing at this level, the Finn will be delighted with how he has started his tournament. Knowing that a win would propel him into the top 100 in the world rankings and set him up nicely to challenge for the overall Race to Dubai title.
(Image by: toddclementsgolf)
The big guns are tucked in just behind
The Irish Open always attracts big names and due to the fact that this year’s tournament is taking place at Royal County Down, a host of star men find themselves nicely placed after the first day of play.
Before a ball had been struck the overwhelming bookies favourite was Rory McIlroy. A winner of this tournament back in 2016, McIlroy is aiming to win his third successive Race to Dubai title and currently finds himself in top spot.
Wanting to end a tough year on a high, nothing will please McIlroy and his legion of fans more than another win in his home Open and he has got off to a great start.
Finishing two shots off the lead, McIlroy was able to finish with a real flourish by posting three consecutive birdies on his final three holes.
Looking in control of his swing and constantly peppering the flags, the one thing that let him down was his putting and he would have been disappointed that he left some shots out on the course.
Knowing that he is a name that the majority of the field will fear, the Northern Irishman will want to stamp his class on the field with a fast start.
Thriston Lawrence is one of the DP World Tour’s emerging stars. A consistent winner back on the Sunshine Tour, Lawrence almost pulled off one of the upsets of the year when he finished fourth at the 2024 Open.
Finding himself in the lead with just nine holes left to play, Lawrence’s consistency made Xander Schauffele have to play his best golf to overthrow the South African at the top of the leaderboard.
Sitting second in the Race to Dubai and trailing Rory McIlroy in the overall standings, Lawrence will be delighted that he ended the day level with his rival.
Carding a three under par first round, Lawrence’s round could have been better had it not been for a costly double bogey on the par 3, 14th hole.
Carrying a calm and cool demeanour on the course, Lawrence won’t be phased by the position he finds himself in and he will want to put the pressure on McIlroy even further today.
MacIntyre and Lowry find themselves with work to do
Rounding out the top three in the pre-tournament betting was Robert MacIntyre and Shane Lowry. Two Ryder Cup teammates, the two were paired together but couldn’t fire each other up as they had a tough time battling the conditions.
Finishing his day level par, Robert MacIntyre found disaster on the par four, fifteenth hole. Hammering his drive into the thick rough, the Scottish Open champion could only scramble to a triple bogey seven, undoing all the good work that he had done through the early part of his round.
Showing how he has matured, the Scot bounced back with birdies on 16 and 17. A par up 18 saw him sign off the day five shots off the back and after his eventful round he would ultimately be pleased that he is still within touching distance of the leaders.
Shane Lowry made history when winning this title back in 2009 as an amateur and after a brilliant year on the PGA Tour where he finished tenth in the final FedEx Cup standings, Lowry arrived at Royal County Down with high hopes of adding a second title.
Usually a superb player in these conditions, the Irishman just couldn’t get anything going on the greens and he had to settle for a disappointing +1 round of 72.
Only six shots off the lead, there won’t be any panic for Lowry but he knows he will need to start fast to power himself back into contention.
(Image by: toddclementsgolf)
Irish Open Round 2 betting
If you fancy placing a bet ahead of the second round of the Irish Open here is how the top ten in the betting currently looks.
Rory McIlroy - 9/4
Thriston Lawrence - 10/1
Sami Valimaki - 14/1
Todd Clements - 20/1
Jordan Smith - 20/1
Shane Lowry - 20/1
Robert MacIntyre - 20/1
Laurie Canter - 22/1
Ewen Ferguson - 25/1
Erik van Rooyen - 28/1
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
