Conditions were completely different today with bright sunshine greeting the early starters and no doubt pleasing the organisers of Celtic Manor’s bid to stage the 2009 Ryder Cup.

The Ryder Cup committee will be shown around the venue today as they contemplate whether the biennial contest will be held here, at Slaley Hall in Northumberland or on one of four courses in Scotland in eight years time.

Yeovil’s Marcus Higley was the early leader with two birdies in his first three holes while two players chasing a place in this year’s Ryder Cup, Paul McGinley and Andrew Coltart, opened with par fours on the first hole.

McGinley currently occupies the 10th and last automatic qualifying place in the standings while Coltart, who made his debut at Brookline two years ago, is 13th.

McGinley picked up his first birdie of the day on the par five second hole, a score matched minutes later by Ian Poulter, another player chasing Ryder Cup points.

Poulter finished joint second behind Colin Montgomerie in last week’s Scandinavian Masters to move from 20th to 12th in the standings and has another chance to earn valuable points in the USPGA championship next week after receiving an invite to the last major of the year.

Coltart had dropped back to one over par with a bogey on the sixth while Higley still headed the field with a birdie on the third taking the 27-year-old to three under par, one clear of Jonathan Lomas and David Higgins.

Leaderboard

3 under - Marcus Higley (after 5 holes)

2 under - Jonathan Lomas (5)

David Higgins (5)

1 under - Jarrod Moseley (Aus) (4)

Paul McGinley (4)

Jamie Donaldson (9)

Michele Reale (Ita) (5)

Ian Poulter (3)

Anders Hansen (Den) (3)

Rolf Muntz (Ned) (1)

Roger Wessels (Rsa) (1)

Selected others:

2 over - Andrew Coltart (4)