SHANE LOWRY IS five shots off the lead after the opening round of the Singapore Classic.

Lowry carded a 69 on Thursday to sit five strokes back from joint leaders Gavin Green of Malaysia, Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, and England’s Jordan Smith.

Speaking after his round, he brushed off suggestions of jetlag, saying, “I felt ok, actually. Got a little bit iffy towards the end, but I think that was coming with some bad golf as well.

“I got off to a great start today and I suppose I guess I thought it was going to be easy and it kind of bit me back in the middle of the round.

“But I fought well and I finished well and I am pretty happy with that.”

Asked about a course he had never played on before now, he said, “I struggled with the greens today and it was quite windy and hard to putt.

“Hopefully I can get out tomorrow and on the greens there will be a little less wind and I manage to hole a few putts. Hopefully I get used to them as the week goes on and I can post better numbers.”

The Clara man currently sits in a tie for 31st at Laguna National Golf Resort Club.

Lowry started in a fashion that justified his status as pre-tournament favourite, birdieing the first and second holes — both par 4s — before moving to three under par on the par-3 fourth.

He dropped a shot on the par-4 fifth, however, and then slowed towards the turn with consecutive pars as far as the 12th.

Lowry bogeyed again on 13, a par 5, but found further birdies on the par-4 15th as well as the final hole, a par-5, to keep touch with the leaders heading into Friday.

Belfast man Tom McKibbin is one under for the tournament after an opening-round 71 in which he made four birdies and three bogeys.