Mooney in charge at K Club

Damian Mooney (Ballyliffin) carded a brilliant five-under-par 67 to ensure he will take a three shot lead into the second and final day of the Newbridge Silverware sponsored K Club Pro-Am.

The Belfast golfer missed the cut at the BMW PGA Championship but bounced back in some style to lead the trio of Philip Walton, Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin) and Irish Champion, Michael McGeady.

With a prize pot of €33,000 on offer, the K Club Pro-Am attracted a high calibre field with 44 professionals and their amateur partners playing a round on both the Smurfit Course and the Palmer Ryder Cup Course, venue for the 2006 event against the USA, which was won by Europe.

Mooney, playing the Smurfit course, opened with a birdie at the par-four first before adding two more at the fourth and fifth. He gave a shot back at the 464 yard par-four ninth, but responded with a birdie at the 10^th followed by two closing birdies at the 17^th and 18^th.

Irish champion McGeady, also playing the Smurfit, was a picture of consistency in compiling his two-under-par round of 70, rattling off 16 pars and two birdies at the 11^th and 14^th. It was in marked contrast to Kearney, who, playing the Ryder Cup course, struggled to the turn in three over 38 before coming home in five-under 32. The Royal Dublin golfer dropped shots at six, seven and eight before producing a fine back nine with birdies at 10, 12, 13, 17 and 18.

Ryder Cup legend Philip Walton, playing the Ryder Cup course, dropped a shot at the third but bounced back with a birdie at the par-five fourth. A further shot went at the par-four 430 yard seventh but back-to-back birdies at eight and nine saw him to the turn in one under 34. His back nine was much calmer with just a single birdie at the par-three 12.

In the team competition, Niall Kearney, with 95 points has a big lead, over Damien Mooney, Colm Moriarty and John Dignam all on 87.

The second round will get underway at 2pm with a shotgun start.