Joaquin Niemann's birdie blitz puts him two ahead at windy Irish Open

The Chilean made four birdies in a row from the 14th to get to five under and set the target at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel, Ireland, Doonbeg on a day when the wind made scoring difficult.

The conditions also led to unavoidable delays and some players will have to return early on day two to complete their opening rounds.

Home hero and 2009 champion Shane Lowry was in the clubhouse after completing his 67 in the fading light and he sat two shots back alongside South African Shaun Norris.

Pole Adrian Meronk - the 2022 champion - Austrian Maximilian Steinlechner and Italian Renato Paratore were also at three under with holes still to play.

Niemann has played a limited schedule in 2026 but has three top tens in his last four DP World Tour starts, including a best Major finish of a tie for seventh at the U.S. Open.

And he revealed he was relishing the conditions on the County Clare coast as he looks for a second DP World Tour title after his win at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open in the 2024 season.

"It was a lot of fun out there," he said.

"It's a really tricky course and a really fun golf course to play with. Especially with the Irish weather. Yeah, getting used to this weather and the rain so yeah, it was fun.

"It's definitely a good challenge. You've got to hit those tee shots and keep it under the wind, left-to-right wind, right-to-left wind.

"I was talking with my caddie, like every shot into the wind just times a hundred probably. So if it's a bad shot, it's a really bad shot. But if it's a good shot, it was so nice to see it. You know, it's just sexy, you know, hitting an eight iron, a seven iron from 120, 130 yards is fun."

He added: "I feel like there's so much I need to learn about my game and so much I need to improve. But I am just on that highway. I'm committed to get better and better every time. And I know I can. I know that there's a lot of room for improvement so, yeah, I'm happy where it is right now, but there's a lot to work on."

The 27-year-old got up and down from the sand on the par-five fourth and played a brilliant recovery on the sixth to turn in 34 but then dropped his only shot of the day with a three-putt on the 12th.

A remarkable tee shot to three feet on the 14th then set his birdie run in motion, with a smart approach at the next, another excellent tee shot at the 16th and a stunning wedge to two feet at the penultimate hole catapulting him up the leaderboard.

Lowry made a fast start as he holed a long putt at the second, took advantage of the fourth and then drove the par-four sixth to set up another birdie.

He then sandwiched a gain on the eighth with bogeys on the seventh and ninth before putting his tee shot to eight feet on the 14th.

Norris holed from off the green at the sixth in between gains at the par-five fourth and eighth and while he dropped a shot on the 15th, he picked it straight back up on the next.

Meronk made six birdies and three bogeys in his first 15 holes, Steinlechner had an eagle, three birdies and two bogeys through 13 and Paratore had six holes to complete having made four birdies with a single dropped shot.

Race to Dubai Rankings leader Patrick Reed carded a 68 to sit alongside home hero Tom McKibbin, Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello, Kiwi Kazuma Kobori, Frenchman Frederic Lacroix, Dane Niklas Nørgaard and Scot Connor Syme.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy was then in the group at one under having completed his first round. Thomas Detry made the fourth albatross of the season when he holed an eight-iron from 227 yards at the tenth.