DEFENDING CHAMPION PAUL Dunne is just three shots off the lead after his opening round of the British Masters which included a brace of birdies.

The Greystones man edged out Rory McIlroy to win the tournament in 2017 and he carded a two-under 70 to get himself off the mark this year, hitting birdies on the 7th and 11th hole in a bogey-free round.

Dunne is leading the Irish contingent so far with Padraig Harrington sitting on one over par after the first day while Shane Lowry is two shots further back.

Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood is sharing the lead with Matt Wallace and Eddie Pepperell. 

Fleetwood continued his impressive form at the British Masters, but his Ryder Cup team-mate Francesco Molinari found the going a little tougher at Walton Heath.

After finishing in a share of second place at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last week, Fleetwood fired an opening 67 to put him into that three-way tie for the lead.

The Englishman had just one bogey in his first round to share top spot with his compatriots Pepperell – who cashed in for charity with a stunning hole-in-one – and Wallace on five under.

Fleetwood’s only blemish came at the 17th after his wayward tee shot ended up in an empty cup holder of a course official’s buggy. He was unable to get up and down to save par despite receiving a free drop, though a birdie at the last quickly made amends.

“It wasn’t my finest approach shot to a par-three, but that was something different for sure,” he told Sky Sports about his drive at the 17th.

“Luckily it didn’t go in the beer [in the buggy] because it would have ruined a drink and the golf ball. But bogey there is fine. It’s not something you get too angry about around here today.”

Molinari failed to match Fleetwood’s standards as the Ryder Cup duo were reunited following their heroics for Europe at Le Golf National, the Italian finishing six shots off the pace after signing for a 73.

Joint-leader Pepperell produced the moment of the day, sinking an astonishing ace as his tee shot at the par-three ninth struck the flag on the full before spinning back into the cup.

He followed up with a more conventional eagle at the par-five 11th and despite dropping shots at the 13th and 15th, a birdie at the penultimate hole capped an eventful day for the 27-year-old, who earned £20,000 for charity with his hole-in-one.

Richard McEvoy, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Joakim Lagergren, David Lipsky and Alexander Levy – still with a hole to play – sit on four under, while a 12-man group that includes Trevor Immelman and Robert Karlsson are a further shot back of the leading trio.

As for tournament host Justin Rose, the Englishman endured a run of four successive bogeys during a see-saw day that saw him eventually card a two-over 74.

“I had a good chance to make four birdies in a row but missed that and just gave away too many cheap bogeys,” Rose – who had to cancel his pre-tournament media commitments on Wednesday due to illness – told Sky Sports.

Additional reporting by Sinéad Farrell.

Subscribe to our new podcast, Heineken Rugby Weekly on The42, here: