Ireland, July 04: Goosen, aiming for a third successive European order of merit, joined Scotland's Alastair Forsyth and Welsh Ryder Cup hero Phillip Price on 66 at the revamped K Club 'North' course on Thursday (July 3). On a congested leaderboard, one of the tournament favourites, Darren Clarke, is tied for fourth place, while another, Colin Montgomerie, is two shots off the pace. Defending champion Michael Campbell is four shots behind. Clarke had to compose himself after hitting his playing-partner Stephen Leaney's pregnant wife Tracey on the head with his tee shot at the 11th. She recovered with no ill effects and a relieved Clarke went on to collect three birdies in the next four holes. Padraig Harrington, the clear favourite, subsided to a 73 after a bright start. Goosen, who shared second place with Harrington last year, knows he has to raise his sights if he is to go one better and climb the European rankings in the process. A $550,000 US dollars victory could take him from 16th to third place on the European money list.

Co-leaders Price and Forsyth have targets, too. Forsyth is looking to follow up his second place in the Diageo Championship two weeks ago and also seal his British Open exemption, while Price is another looking to go one better at the K Club after a second place in the event in the past.

Montgomerie has his own goal. After making twos at three of the par-threes in his five birdies before dropping a shot at the last, the Scotsman is anxious to do well in his first tournament as a 40-year-old.

Leading scores after the first round of the European Open golf tournament at the par-72 Kildare Hotel and Country Club on Thursday (British unless stated): 66 Alastair Forsyth, Retief Goosen (South Africa), Phillip Price 67 Fredrik Andersson (Sweden), Darren Clarke, Andrew Coltart, Soren Hansen (Denmark), Gary Murphy (Ireland) 68 Gary Evans, Mark McNulty (Zimbabwe), Colin Montgomerie 69 Klas Eriksson (Sweden), Ricardo Gonzalez (Argentina), Mikko Ilonen (Finland), Maarten Lafeber (Netherlands), Graeme McDowell, Andrew Raitt, Eduardo Romero (Argentina), Stephen Scahill (New Zealand) 70 Angel Cabrera (Argentina), Michael Campbell (New Zealand), Roger Chapman, Stephen Dodd, Marc Farry (France), Niclas Fasth (Sweden), Barry Lane, Nick O'Hern (Australia), Greg Owen, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Denmark), Shaun P.Webster, Lee Westwood 71 Warren Bennett, John Bickerton, Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), Tobias Dier (Germany), Jamie Donaldson, Stephen Gallacher, David Howell, Simon Khan, David Lynn, Martin Maritz (South Africa), Marten Olander (Sweden), Mark Roe, Gustavo Rojas (Argentina), Raymond Russell, Roger Wessels (South Africa)

Bureau Report