Hitting 243-yard approach shots inside four feet for eagle is one way to avoid fretting over your putting.

Just ask Shane Lowry, who opened with a three-under 69 in the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village, where his eagle three at the seventh (his 16th hole) added an extra spring to his step on a day when he also made three bogeys and four birdies.

It's not that The Open champion putted particularly poorly in the opening round alongside Matt Kuchar (69) and Davis Love III (74). But having said in the build-up that he knows he must wait patiently for that putts to drop, an 18 footer for a two at the 16th (his 7th), a six-footer for birdie at the fifth (his 14th) and a seven-footer for par at this penultimate hole was a meagre return.

That late eagle three quickly smartened up his card and left him just inside the top ten early in the day, three strokes behind clubhouse leader Adam Hadwin, whose 66 gave him a one-stroke lead over Nick Taylor, Hideki Matsuyama and Zach Johnson. Scores

Lowry mixed birdies at the 11th and 16th with bogeys at the 14th and 17th to turn in level par, then sandwiched a bogey at the par-three fourth between birdies at the second (where he chipped in from 40 feet) and the fifth (99-yard wedge to six feet) before his late eagle moved him into contention.

He was undoubtedly happier that four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, who hit just one fairway as he went out in 41 on Muirfield Village's tough back nine before picking up three shots on the way home to salvage a two-over 74.

Graeme McDowell was among the later starters in Dublin, Ohio while in the San Antonio Challenge on the Korn Ferry Tour, Seamus Power made three birdies and four bogeys in a one-over 73.

The West Waterford man was seven strokes behind John Chin, who shot a six-under 66 to lead by a shot at TPC San Antonio-AT&T Canyons from Dylan Wu, Brett Stegmaier and Paul Haley II. Scores

Meanwhile, it was a good day for Gavin Moynihan as the European Tour returned for the first time since March with the dual-ranking Austrian Open at Diamond Country Club.

The Portrane man (25) made three birdies in a bogey-free 69 to share 19th place, leaving him just four strokes behind Dutchman Joost Luiten whose 65 gave him a one-shot lead over Scots Craig Howie and Marc Warren. Scores

As Portmarnock Links’ Robin Dawson birdied two of his last three holes to open with a four-over 76 and Royal Dublin’s Niall Kearney shot a six-over 78, Moynihan birdied the seventh, eighth and 11th in his first start on tour since the Challenge Tour's Dimension Data Pro-Am in mid-February.

Both the 2020 Race to Dubai and 2020 Road to Mallorca were suspended on March 8 due to the global coronavirus pandemic, with this week’s dual-ranking event marking the restart of both Tours almost four months to the day after the stoppage.

Joost Luiten-2.jpg — Joost Luiten. Picture: Getty Images

Luiten won his second European Tour title at this very venue in 2013 and channelled his fond memories of this course as he birdied five of the first seven holes. The 34-year-old then birdied three of his four closing holes to move one ahead of Scotland’s Craig Howie, who set the early pace with a bogey-free six-under-par.

Howie was joined on that number by compatriot Marc Warren, aided by an eagle on the par-five 15th and a birdie on the last for a round of 66.

Another Scot, Connor Syme, sits in fourth place on five under par alongside Philip Eriksson of Sweden, Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard, and Italian Lorenzo Scalise.

Miguel Angel Jiménez, marked his 705th European Tour start with a four-under-par round of 68. The evergreen Spaniard is just one appearance behind Sam Torrance’s record set more than a decade ago. He is joined by nine other golfers in a share of eighth.

As per all events on the reshaped 2020 Race to Dubai, the Austrian Open is governed by the European Tour’s comprehensive Health Strategy, which will see healthcare specialists Cignpost deliver rapid on-site COVID-19 screening.

In order to help mitigate risk, all players, caddies and on-site personnel will be tested, and participants will operate within national public health guidelines, including social distancing and following enhanced hygiene directives.

Player Quotes

Joost Luiten: “I’ve got good memories here. For some reason I like this place, I’ve played well here a few times. It’s good to come back after a four-month break and have my game in order and shoot seven-under. A lot of us didn’t know where we stood with our games, it’s good to have a fast start and bring in a good score.

“Everything was working well. I hit it well off the tee, didn’t miss many greens, holed a couple of putts and hit my irons close. Just one bogey – you have to keep the mistakes off your card here because it’s a tricky golf course if you’re out of position. I stayed in position a lot and made some nice birdies.

“Tournament golf: you don’t lose it. It’s still the same as before. On the outside, there’s a couple of changes, but when you’re out there you have to hit the shots, stay focused, stay patient and play your own game.”

Craig Howie: “Absolutely delighted. I wasn't really sure what to expect after four months off, so that was a surprise. It was good though. It's the first time I've had a bogey-free round in a long time. That was pretty satisfying, particularly on such a tough golf course.

“It was playing OK this morning. There was no wind so it really was perfect conditions. The greens are so good, so that makes putting a little easier and you can then build a score.

“With my category, I've only ever had one opportunity to play on the European Tour before. To have the opportunity to play a European Tour dual ranking event is great. It's a lot more money as well, so there is a lot to play for.”

Marc Warren: “I’m very pleased. You’re never quite sure what it’ll be like once you’re out on the course. Strangely enough, with no crowds, it was just like playing at home over the last few weeks. That was going through my head, keeping my game free, hitting the ball and seeing where it goes and then finding it again rather than overthinking it.

“I’m carrying my own bag for the first time in 15 or 16 years – Ken (Herring) didn’t get his test back in time, unfortunately. So that was that.”

“We got to the middle of the front nine and then the wind really picked up. You have to play well to shoot a good score on this golf course anyway. A few really tough tee shots and tough greens, sometimes you have to miss on the right sides of the greens to score well. I managed to do that in the middle of the round.”

Austrian Open, Diamond Country Club, Atzenbrugg, Austria (Par 72)

Prize fund: €500,000

65 J Luiten (Ned)

66 M Warren (Sco), C Howie (Sco)

67 L Scalise (Ita), P Eriksson (Swe), C Syme (Sco), N Hojgaard (Den)

68 J Thomson (Eng), E De La Riva (Esp), T Baltl (Aut), J Dantorp (Swe), J Stalter (Fra), C Mivis (Bel), M Jimenez (Esp), T Detry (Bel), R Paratore (Ita), N Von Dellingshausen (Ger), W Besseling (Ned)

69 M Schneider (Ger), O Lengden (Swe) A Karlsson (Swe), Gavin Moynihan (Irl), N Moller (Den), S Henry (Sco), J Lando Casanova (Fra), A John (Ger), O Lindell (Fin), M Simonsen (Den), R Sciot-siegrist (Fra)

70 F Mory (Fra), G Stal (Fra), S Gregory (Eng), G Bourdy (Fra), M Kieffer (Ger), A Arnaus (Esp), J Wrisdale (Eng), C Ross (Sco), J Girrbach (Sui), M Lundberg (Swe), L Nemecz (Aut), N Regner (Am) (Aut), R Roussel (Fra), G Kristjansson (Isl), D Huizing (Ned), C Pigem (Esp), S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp), S Heisele (Ger), H Sturehed (Swe), A Saddier (Fra)

71 D Van Driel (Ned), A Knappe (Ger), N Colsaerts (Bel), J Catlin (Usa), P Oriol (Esp), S Tarrio (Esp), M Ford (Eng), R Van West (Ned), M Lampert (Ger), P Edberg (Swe), B Moore (Eng), F Lacroix (Fra), J Sjoholm (Swe), M Baldwin (Eng), S Vincent (Zim), E Di Nitto (Ita)

72 R Petersson (Swe), J Quesne (Fra), L Gagli (Ita), C Hanna (Usa), P Langfors (Swe), S Tiley (Eng), S Matus (Cze), F Maccario (Ita), C Berardo (Fra), S Valimaki (Fin), R Karlberg (Swe), M Schmitt (Ger), B Virto (Esp), O Lieser (Cze), J Fahrbring (Swe), U Coussaud (Fra)

73 R Kakko (Fin), A Zemmer (Ita), M Habeler (Aut), M Haastrup (Den), M Steinlechner (Am) (Aut), M Fenasse (Fra), M Wiegele (Aut), C Robb (Sco), D Lawson (Aus), F Laporta (Ita), M Siem (Ger), R De Sousa (Sui), L Van Meijel (Ned), H Long (Ger), A Ahokas (Fin), D Boote (Wal)

74 P Angles (Esp), S Fernandez (Esp), V Riu (Fra), R Mansell (Eng), H Arkenau (Ger), B Ritthammer (Ger), L Kubin (Am) (Aut), N Kristensen (Den), A Wilson (Eng), B Rusch (Sui), L Astl (Aut), D Borda (Esp), A Rozner (Fra), D Foos (Ger)

75 T Clements (Eng), M Brier (Aut), M Ovesen (Den), F Bergamaschi (Ita), E Ferguson (Sco), R Gouveia (Por), B Stow (Eng), D Gavins (Eng), S Manley (Wal), R McGowan (Eng)

76 R Evans (Eng), I Cantero Gutierrez (Esp), L Lipold (Aut), A Meronk (Pol), D Perrier (Fra), J Kobing (Ger), R Dawson (Irl)

77 J Kaske (Fin), C Blomstrand (Swe), G Folk (Aut), A Plant (Eng), E Cuartero Blanco (Esp)

78 N Kearney (Irl), A Arizabaleta (Col), 79 N Mccarthy (Eng), T Pulkkanen (Fin)

80 K Koivu (Fin)

81 H Porteous (Rsa), J Sandborg (Swe), R Enoch (Wal), H Magnus (Isl)

85 F Nilehn (Swe)

87 S Wittmann (Aut)