Shane Lowry was able to shake off his Ryder Cup disappointment as he stormed up the leaderboard at the Alfred Dunhill Links.
And it was a real day for the Irish as John Murphy also made a climb to the top.
Lowry got off to a fast start with birdies on from the second to fifth holes and although the birdies dried up from there, Lowry still managed to get two strokes back on the eight and sixteenth but did give up a bogey on the 10th hole.
The five under round saw the 2019 champion lie in second and is three shots off 2017 Master Champion Danny Willett.
And Lowry is not the only Irish man with 896th ranked John Murphy having a similarly impressive day.
Murphy carded a flawless 67 without a single bogey on his card and he also sits three shots off Willett.
A win could see Murphy pushing for a spot in the top 200 in the world while Lowry would likely see a healthy boost from his 42nd ranking.
Tyrell Hatton also is in contention as he lies in second place along with the in form Richard Bland.
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