Moynihan on a roll in Sardinia; three back after 66

Oliver Farr. Picture © Emanuel Stotzer

Mount Wolseley's Gavin Moynihan took up where he left off at Portstewart when he made eight birdies in a five under 66 to lie just three shots off the lead in the Italian Challenge Open by Lyoness. 

After an early bogey at his second hole, the 22-year old immediately birdied the next four holes, then made three birdies in a row at the start of his second nine at Is Molas Resort in Sardinia.

He slipped back to five under over the closing four holes by following bogeys at the sixth and seventh with a birdie at the eighth.

But at five-under he's tied for 10th, just three shots behind Welshman Oliver Farr and Sweden's Oscar Stark, who fired eight under par rounds of 63 to share the lead.

On a day of low scoring in Sardinia, it was Wales’s Farr who struck first, carding eight birdies during a bogey-free opening round to set the clubhouse target at eight under par.

Windier conditions faced the afternoon starters, but Sweden’s Stark, 28, also went bogey-free, with two eagles over the back nine helping propel him up to the top of the leaderboard. 

One behind the leaders are Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen and the Netherlands’ Reinier Saxton, who both carded seven under par 64s. 

Marco Crespi was the pick of the home favourites, the Italian bagging seven birdies en route to a six under par opening round of 65.

Ardglass Cormac Sharvin is tied 32nd after a six-birdie 68 with Ruaidhri McGee (69) tied 50th, Chris Selfridge (70) 67th and Stephen Grant (77) 152nd.

Gary Hurley shot a one-over 72 to share 104th, making an eagle, two birdies, one bogey and a quadruple bogey nine in an up and down round.

Michael Hoey shot a 76 and withdrew.

Scores after Round One, Is Molas (Par 71):

63 O Farr (Wal), O Stark (Swe), 

64 T Pulkkanen (Fin), R Saxton (Ned), 

65 M Crespi (Ita), C Koepka (USA), B Neil (Sco), A Karlsson (Swe), J Cafourek (Cze), 

66 R McCarthy (Aus), T Murray (Eng), C Mivis (Bel), O Lindell (Fin), J Mullen (Eng), G Moynihan (Irl), M Fenasse (Fra), M Cort (Eng), G Boyd (Eng), A Rai (Eng), R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra), 

67 T Linard (Fra), G Porteous (Eng), A Pavan (Ita), J Guerrier (Fra), D Huizing (Ned), M Tullo (Chi), P Whiteford (Sco), N Cullen (Aus), M Schwab (Aut), J Sjöholm (Swe), M Eggenberger (Sui), 

68 P Widegren (Swe), P Oriol (Esp), L Gagli (Ita), J Sarasti (Esp), N Geyger (Chi), J Suri (USA), D Fox (Aus), A Zemmer (Ita), R McEvoy (Eng), C Ford (Eng), E Goya (Arg), E Van Rooyen (RSA), C Sharvin (Nir), J Van Der Vaart (Ned), D Van Driel (Ned), V Riu (Fra), C Lee (Sco), M Pastor (Esp), 

69 E Cuartero Blanco (Esp), M Delpodio (Ita), C Bezuidenhout (RSA), B Eccles (Aus), J Heath (Eng), B Virto (Esp), M Ortolani (Ita), J Allan (Eng), R McGee (Irl), L Vaisanen (Fin), A Wennstam (Swe), A Rozner (Fra), M Rohwer (RSA), M Ovesen (Den), N Ravano (Ita), M Nixon (Eng), A Tadini (Ita), 

70 C Selfridge (Nir), T Lawrence (RSA), P Maddy (Eng), W Besseling (Ned), J Rutherford (Eng), S Brown (Eng), M Orrin (Eng), O Suhr (Den), C Griffiths (Eng), L Galliano (Sui), S Forsström (Swe), O Lengden (Swe), J Senior (Eng), M Baldwin (Eng), 

71 J Zunic (Aus), M Ford (Eng), O Rozner (Fra), V Perez (Fra), J Brun (Fra), M Kinhult (Swe), D Foos (Ger), J Vecchi Fossa (Ita), S Soderberg (Swe), J Garcia Pinto (Esp), P Gal (Cze), N Lindstrom (Swe), N Johansson (Swe), F Laporta (Ita), M Haastrup (Den), J Kunzenbacher (Ger), R Evans (Eng), R Santos (Por), R Coles (Eng), R Kakko (Fin), A Saddier (Fra), S Fernandez (Esp), R Finch (Eng), 

72 R Charania (Ken), G Yang (Kor), M Schneider (Ger), A Velasco (Esp), K Samooja (Fin), E Di Nitto (Ita), M Lampert (Ger), H Joannes (Bel), G Hurley (Irl), R Kellett (Sco), B Evans (Eng), M Laskey (Wal), R Echenique (Arg)

73 C Sordet (Fra), A Connelly (Can), E Dubois (Fra), C Braeunig (Ger), M Madsen (Den), M Lundberg (Swe), S Khan (Eng), J Dantorp (Swe), F Bergamaschi (Ita), G Forrest (Sco), S Piaget (Mon), B Hellgren (Swe), J Hansen (Den), J Parry (Eng), R Hjelm (Den), 

74 K Johannessen (Nor), N Møller (Den), G King (Eng), M Lafeber (Ned), G Migliozzi (Ita), J Girrbach (Sui), J Makitalo (Fin), B Åkesson (Swe), T Rodrigues (Por), S Arnold (Aus), A Maestroni (Ita), F Mruzek (Cze), E España (Fra)

75 M Wiegele (Aut), T Cruz (Por), I Cantero Gutierrez (Esp), B Rusch (Sui), E Lipparelli (Ita), P Dedek (Cze), 

76 R James (Wal), 

77 J Ramos (Por), S Grant (Irl), 

78 D Suchan (Cze), 

82 R Davies (Wal).

WD M Hoey (Nir)