Maarten Lafeber got three birdies in the last five holes

Maarten Lafeber shot a six-under-par 64 in miserable conditions at the K-Club near Dublin to lead after day one of the Smurfit European Open.

He led by one from England's Robert Rock, Indian Jyoti Randhawa, France's Gregory Havret and Swede Niclas Fasth.

David Howell and Colin Montgomerie had to settle for 69s but that was still two better than Angel Cabrera, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley.

The course was shortened by 653 yards after days of heavy rain.

Irish Open champion Padraig Harrington, at 10th in the world the highest-ranked player on view, spoiled his day's work by double-bogeying the 16th.

Cabrera, making his first appearance since his US Open victory, had a topsy-turvy time.

He had a bogey and a double bogey in his first four holes, then birdied five of the next seven, then had further bogeys on the 12th, 16th and 17th - the hole where compatriot Andres Romero had holed-in-one and won himself a car.

McGinley, down at 158th in the world, described his six-birdie, seven-bogey 71 as not good enough.

Lafeber had only two birdies in his first nine holes, but then covered the front nine in 32, putting the icing on the cake when he chipped in for a two on the 179-yard eighth.

"It is very tough. As soon as you go in the rough you are going to be plugged or in a really deep lie and struggling to get on the green," he said.