SHANE LOWRY AND Seamus Power both made solid starts to the second Major of the year in Tulsa in Oklahoma.

Lowry carded a level-par 70, while Power finished one-over after a 71 at Southern Hills Country Club for the PGA Championship.

Offaly native Lowry, who finished in a tie for third last month in the Masters at Augusta, is five shots off the lead held by Rory McIlroy.

• McIlroy gets long-sought hot major start with 65 at PGA

• Follow the latest first round scoring here from the US PGA Championship

After a few weeks break, Lowry returned to action and dropped an early shot on the second before rebounding with a birdie on the fourth. His back nine was a mixed affair with bogeys on the 10th and 14th, mixed with birdies on the 12th and 17th.

He also recorded a memorable par on the par-five 13th, despite finding water with his second shot. Lowry tees off tomorrow for his second round at 1.38pm (Irish time) alongside Brooks Koepka and Adam Scott.

Power is making only his second Major appearance after a debut at the Masters, where he made the cut and finished in a tie for 27th. His round today began on a low note with a bogey on the 10th, his opening hole, before he birdied the 12th, bogeyed the 14th and birdied the 15th.

From there the Waterford native’s play was extremely solid with seven pars in a row followed by a dropped shot at the par-five 5th and then four pars to round off.

Power’s second round commences at 1.33pm tomorrow alongside Russell Knox and Scott Stallings.

The 2008 PGA Championship winner Padraig Harrington finished with a disappointing 77 to lie on seven-over.

Harrington’s round featured seven bogeys and a double bogey on the 2nd, with the 3rd and 12th holes offering some respite as he picked up shots. Harrington is out at 7.31pm tomorrow evening alongside Stewart Cink and Jason Dufner.