FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD GB&Ire unless stated -4 Klas Eriksson (Swe), Nick Dougherty -3 Stephen Dodd, Mattias Eliasson (Swe), Peter O'Malley (Aus), Colm Moriarty (Irl) -2 Damien Mooney (Nrl), Simon Khan, Darren Clarke, David Howell, Lee Westwood Selected others: -1 Colin Montgomerie, Rory McIlroy (Nrl) +1 Ian Woosnam

The Englishman, five days away from his 23rd birthday, is tied with Swede Klas Eriksson at Carton House, near Dublin.

But the major talking point of the day was Simon Khan's �8,000 penalty for slow play, following a �4,000 fine for the same offence last week.

Scot Colin Montgomerie, who designed the testing course, shot a 71 to be three strokes off the lead.

"The course played as I expected," said Montgomerie. "Yes, it's tough but I'm glad that everyone's saying it's tough."

Welshman Stephen Dodd, Swede Mattias Eliasson Peter O'Malley from Australian and Irishman Colm Moriarty were one behind the leaders.

Darren Clarke was not the only Northern Ireland player in the frame with fellow countryman Damien Mooney match his two-under 70 and 16-year-old Co Down star Rory McIlroy joining Montgomerie in 13th place with an impeccable round of 71.

However, it was Dougherty who took the first-day honours.

"I've been beating myself up so bad," said Dougherty, who has missed three of the last four halfway cuts.

"I think it's good to set high expectations, but I didn't accept the fact that I wasn't always going to achieve them.

"I'm setting the bar at perfection and golf isn't like that. It's taken me a little bit of miserable golf the last month and a half to appreciate that."

The bad news for Khan is that his next offence will cost him �16,000, the one after that �32,000 and so on. Seven more, in other words, would produce a �1million fine.

"It's getting expensive and it is something that I need to address," said Khan.

Montgomerie was sympathetic but said: "It's a shame but it says to us all that we need to get a move on because it's expensive if you don't."