Damien McGrane declared ‘Beware the Injured Golf’ after banking an impressive four under par 68 on the opening day of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in Doha.
McGrane, and still battling an inflamed wrist, grabbed five birdies in his round to be trailing just three shots behind England’s Oliver Fisher who shot a seven under par 65.
Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello carded a 66 while six players, including the British Open winning pair of Ernie Els and former double Doha winning Paul Lawrie, are tied in third place a shot further back.
Damien McGrane shrugs off a wrist injury concern to shoot a four under par 68 on the opening day of the 2015 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
And Dubliner Peter Lawrie walked to the scorer’s hut declaring: ‘It’s good to be back’ in holing a 12-foot for birdie at the last in a score of 70.
McGrane is still on a prescription of anti-inflamatories after injuring his right wrist while pulling a golf trolley in playing a social round at his beloved Headfort Club in Kells.
However any pain was eased when he landed a 110-yard wedge shot to just five feet at the last for birdie.
“I had treatment on my wrist last night and while you can see it’s still a little swollen it felt much better today and hardly hindered me at all,” he said.
“Of the three Middle East Swing events I’ve always liked this Qatar course the best even though the three weeks are bombers weeks.
“I just managed to get into a groove today while it was a good three ball to be playing in as we seem to urging each other along.”
Lawrie commenced his first round of 2015 by chipping to two feet for a first hole birdie and despite dropping a shot when he found the rough at 15, he bounced straight back with a 16th hole birdie ahead of his good finish when he landed a 140-yard wedge to 12 feet, and in a round of just 28 putts.
“It was a good day’s work as I played very well all day,” he said.
“I also was very pleased how I handled myself as I got a bad lie in the rough off the 15th and I just said to myself ‘chip it out and move on’, and at worst I made bogey.
“That’s something I haven’t been doing and then to birdie the next after taking bogey was very nice.
“Everyone knows that my form has dipped since 2013 and I’ve been everywhere to find a solution, and what I have been doing is just crossing off every box.
“I’ve been to psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors, dentists. I’ve been to everybody and just trying to find a bit of form from somewhere and in seeking that form I’ve practiced my backside off to try and get it back.
“So I’m finally getting a little bit more confidence and I’ve putting in a few decent scores, and while I have not been following them up well, I will keep on going.
“But the key today was that I chipped and putted well and every time I had like a five-footer for par, I held it and that keeps the momentum going.
“So it’s nice to be going to lunch feeling good after a round.”
And Belfast’s Michael Hoey was also in the red with a one under par 71.
