Dublin, Sep 7 (AP) Shane Lowry needed a good start at the Irish Open to justify getting picked for the Ryder Cup.

Adrian Meronk wanted one to show Europe captain Luke Donald was wrong to leave him off the team.

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Both got what they were after on Thursday.

Lowry made seven birdies and shot 4-under 68 at The K Club to lie two shots off the lead midway through the first round of the European tour event.

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Aggrieved at being overlooked by Donald, Meronk started birdie-birdie and shot 69 in a solid start to his title defense.

On a day when Rory McIlroy — the big draw this week as a home favorite — felt the love of the crowds and also shot 69, the lead was shared on 6 under by two Englishmen, Jordan Smith and Ross Fisher, and a 52-year-old Dane, Thomas Bjorn, who knows all about the joy and pain of Ryder Cup selection.

Bjorn was the winning Ryder Cup captain from Le Golf National in 2018 who, 12 years earlier, called Ian Woosnam “the most pathetic captain I have ever seen” after being snubbed for a pick for the 2006 event at The K Club — where the Irish Open is taking place this week.

An elder statesman of the European tour, Bjorn has missed the cut in his last five events and has a current ranking of No. 1,232 but showed he can still mix it with some of the best in the world by making seven birdies along with a sole bogey at his last hole — the ninth — after missing the green with his approach and also a par putt from 11 feet.

The 85th-ranked Smith and Fisher — No. 412 — also mixed seven birdies and one bogey as morning starters.

Hurly Long, Julien Brun, Ashun Wu and Mikael Lindberg were a shot off the lead, while Lowry was in a group one further back as he looks for a first top-10 finish since the Honda Classic in February to take with him to Rome, where he is one of six captain's picks.

That he'd be selected by Donald wasn't really up for discussion, despite missing the cut at two of his last three starts — including at the British Open, which he won in 2019.

Many thought Meronk would also be in the European team but Donald selected Nicolai Hojgaard ahead of him in what was likely his final call.

Birdies from 6 feet and 22 feet in the opening two holes, after starting at No. 10, showed Meronk meant business in the toughest week of his golfing career. He mixed two birdies with two bogeys before hitting an approach to 7 feet at his last hole and draining the birdie putt. (AP) AM

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)