Kevin Phelan made five birdies in a one under 69 to lie six shots off the lead in the Cordon Golf Open at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André in France

England’s Jordan Smith and Matthew Nixon shot seven under par 63s to lead by one Robin Sciot-Siegrist, the rookie French professional with Irish roots.

Phelan is tied for 42nd and the best of the Irish after Gary Hurley and Rory McNamara both made four birdies in adventurous, one over 73s to share 71st.

Chris Selfridge is a shot further back after making three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey in a 72.

Scores after round 1

63 M Nixon (Eng), J Smith (Eng)

64 R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra),

65 G Porteous (Eng),

66 R Saxton (Ned), P Widegren (Swe), P Oriol (Esp), D Vancsik (Arg), D Gaunt (Aus), A Rai (Eng), S Brown (Eng), L Weber (Fra),

67 B Ritthammer (Ger), D Perrier (Fra), M Schneider (Ger), C Ford (Eng), T Tree (Eng), P Whiteford (Sco), B Stow (Eng),

68 F Bergamaschi (Ita), A Ahokas (Fin), A Saddier (Fra), A Tadini (Ita), R Kellett (Sco), N Cullen (Aus), C Rameaux (Fra), A Velasco (Esp), A Knappe (Ger), C Gloet (Den), T Lawrence (RSA), J Lima (Por), X Poncelet (Fra), J Foret (Fra), G King (Eng), M Tullo (Chi), J Lando Casanova (Fra), J Doherty (Sco), H Joannes (Bel), C Bouniol (Fra), V Riu (Fra), M Lampert (Ger)

69 J Dantorp (Swe), F Colombo (Ita), S Fernandez (Esp), J Lara (Esp), A Schwartz (Fra), N Tacher (Fra), M Rominger (Sui), N Geyger (Chi), Kevin Phelan (Irl), F Calmels (Fra),

70 A Hortal (Esp), C Koerbler (Aut), M Delpodio (Ita), S Jeppesen (Swe), K Johannessen (Nor), J Sarasti (Esp), A Snobeck (Fra), S Hodgson (Eng), S Soderberg (Swe), P Angles (Esp), R Santos (Por), M Keskari (Ger), C Russo (Fra), M Søgaard (Den), B Hafthorsson (Isl), O Rozner (Fra), M Kinhult (Swe), M Orrin (Eng), G Schoeb (am) (Fra),

71 M Wiegele (Aut), Rory McNamara (Irl), O Stark (Swe), M Pavon (Fra), E Cuartero Blanco (Esp), D Antonelli (Fra), B Parker (Eng), Gary Hurley (Irl), D Law (Sco), D Huizing (Ned), M Decottignies-Lafon, (Fra), D Coupland (Eng), D Stewart (Sco), A Maestroni (Ita), T Perrot (am) (Fra), 

72 P Maddy (Eng), J Adarraga Gomez (Esp), W Besseling (Ned), R Roussel (Fra), L Capon (Fra), B Rusch (Sui), A Widemann (Fra), S Henry (Sco), B Paolini (USA), C Batut (Fra), J Senior (Eng), P Mejow (Ger), J Carlota (Por), N Aparicio (Fra), L Gagli (Ita), D Wright (Eng), Chris Selfridge (Nir), E Catherine (am) (Fra),

73 S Gautier (Fra), P Relecom (Bel), F Daux (Fra), D Van Driel (Ned), C Sordet (Fra), J Lopez Lazaro (Fra), C Del Moral (Esp), M Armitage (Eng), M Ovesen (Den),

74 R Marguery (Fra), K Eriksson (Swe), J White (Eng), J Rodallec (Fra), S Kim (USA), P Shields (Sco), W Harrold (Eng), G Cambis (Fra), D Nouailhac (Fra), T Anderson (Eng), S Hutsby (Eng), G Forrest (am) (Sco), A Auboin (am) (Fra), V Veyret (am) (Fra),

75 J Wrisdale (Eng), P Gal (Cze), P Howard (Eng), E Ferguson (Sco), S Fallon (Eng), J Sjöholm (Swe), M Fenasse (Fra), E Johansen (Nor), J Glennemo (Swe), R Kind (Ned), C Brazillier (Fra),

76 N Peyrichou (Fra), T Pulkkanen (Fin), A Pavan (Ita), P Valasek (Svk), J Grillon (Fra), C Costilla (Arg), T Gornik (Slo), J Barnes (Eng), 

77 E Blom (Swe), M Lafeber (Ned), D Lloyd (RSA), A Bernadet (Fra),

78 E Dubois (Fra), J Heath (Eng), D Ulrich (Sui), 

79 T Bakker (Fin), B Reiter (Aut), 

86 J Penelon (Fra),

** J Gonnet (Fra)