Irishman Graeme McDowell was two under par and on the leaderboard with three holes to play before adding three straight bogeys in a round of one over par 72.

After his round McDowell likened the conditions on day one of the Irish Open as good enough to host an Open Championship.

“Some days this game does this to you whether it’s playing in Asia, this is it.  This is raw,” he said.

“This is Britain and Ireland.  This is what it’s all about, and it is fun to come back and play this type of golf.  This is proper Open championship golf.

“You put the grand stands up right now and you can have an Open Championship here. It’s set up perfectly.  It’s ready to go, and it’s really going to require some good golf to win this weekend.”

Graeme McDowell says the first day of the 2015 Irish Open good enough to hold an Open Championship. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)