THE APPROPRIATELY TITLED Prosper Golf Resort has proven the venue for a spectacular return to form for Ireland’s Peter Lawrie.

Playing in the first round of the Czech Open, his  first tournament since a top-ten at last month’s Irish Open, the Dubliner fired a bogey-free 66, enough for a one-shot lead over a trio of challengers that includes Damien McGrane.

Not content to be outshone by his compatriots, former Irish Open winner Shane Lowry managed to set three birdies and an eagle against a solitary bogey en route to carding a four-under-par 68.

2002 Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley sits in a tie for seventh, a shot further adrift.

Though he has been one of the European Tour’s most consistent performers in recent years, Lawrie is without a win since the 2008 Spanish Open. Should that drought come to an end this Sunday, he’d move comfortably into the top-60 on the Race  to Dubai rankings and within striking distance of a place at the lucrative, season-ending  Dubai World Championship.

The concerns of McGrane, however, are more pressing. Having slipped to 104th on the tour’s Order of Merit, the Kells native will be looking for a finish capable of guaranteeing his playing status for next season.

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