Stunning round from Willett sees him lead following day one of the Irish Open

US Masters champion Danny Willett produced a stunning opening round of 65 at day one of the Irish Open to lead the field by two overnight. The English man had the chance to card a 64 when he played a superb approach shot on the 18th, leaving him with a 12 foot eagle attempt on the par 5, but he made do with a birdie to lead tournament host Rory McIlroy by two shots overnight.

The Northern Irish golfer will be pleased with his start to the tournament, and he has set himself up well to challenge for a title he has never previously came close to winning.

The conditions certainly played a major role as players who were unfortunate enough to be teeing off in the early stages of the day posted worse scores than those who were part of the afternoon session. While Willett was able to shoot -7 in the sunshine, the best score posted during the morning session was -3, with Ross Fisher and Martin Kaymer both shooting rounds of 69.

Local golfer Jack Hume was one of those who found the going tough in the early morning rain, as his 9.30am start coincided with the beginning of the heavy downpours. The Naas man posted a +5 round of 77, with the back nine on the course proving particularly difficult for him. There was one standout moment at the eighth hole for Hume as he chipped in from a difficult position in the bunker to register a birdie on the par 4.

Leaderboard and selected Irish scores

Danny Willett -7

Rory McIlroy -5

Jaco Van Zyl -4

Callum Shinkwin -4

Paul Dunne -2

Shane Lowry -1

Graeme McDowell -1

Paul McGinley evens

Darren Clarke +1

Padraig Harrington +4

Jack Hume +5