Newlands' Cian Curley came in a close second with a 68, while Limerick's Pat Murray, the only amateur to make the cut at this year's Irish Open, was joined in third place by Tom Cleary, Michael Sinclair and Niall Turner on 69.

The projected cut is in and around the 150 mark in Cork, and other big names likely to make that cut include Shane Lowry, Jim Carvill and Niall Kearney.

First round scores:

67: J Caldwell (Clandeboye)

68: C Curley (Newlands)

69: M Sinclair (Knock), P Murray (Limerick), N Turner (Muskerry), T Cleary (Cork)

70: D Downie (Sutton), D Lernihan (Castle/U.C.D.), J Carvill (Warrenpoint), D Finn (Mallow), F Rafferty (Dungannon), R Kilpatrick (Banbridge)

71: S Grant (Birr), C Finn (Douglas), G O'Flaherty (Cork), G Carew (Edenderry), G McDermott (Co Sligo), S Moloney (Castletroy), E Arthurs (Forrest little), S Lowry (UCD/Esker Hills), A O'Callaghan (Douglas), D Morgan (Mullingar), M Ford (Cork)

72: N O Briain (Royal Dublin), B O'Connor (Hermitage), S Dwyer (Newlands), J Tobin (Carrick-on-Suir)

73: K Crowley (Lee Valley), W McCully (Donaghadee), R Leonard (Banbridge), N Gorey (Lee Valley), H Diamond (Holywood), P O'Hanlon (Curragh), S Crowe (Dunmurry), J Hughes (Woodbrook), C O'Connor (Athlone/UCD), M Lavelle (K Club), K Hurley (Bandon), P O'Kane (Moyola Park), S Doherty (Malone), M Collins (Sutton)

74: F Deasy (Cork), C McNamara (Limerick), R McCarthy (The Island), C Martin (Kilkenny), S Power (West Waterford), S Loftus (Ennis), N Kearney (Royal Dublin), L Reilly (Galgorm Castle), D Joyce (The Curragh), A Harrington (Cork), D McInerney (Lahinch)

75: P Lyons (Cork), D Costello (Cork), K Kennedy (Co Tipperary), P O'Keeffe (Douglas), H Mackeown (Portmarnock), G O'Connor (Malahide), R Weldon (Hermitage), N Grant (Knock), B Campbell (Malone), I Murphy (Waterford), C Carvill (Belvoir Park), R Twomey (Muskerry), G Dunlea (Killarney), D O'Donovan (Bandon), J Kavanagh (Castletroy), S Barry (Lee Valley), G Boyd (Donaghadee), M O'Kelly (Limerick), C O'Malley (Westport)

76: D Cantrell (Woodbrook), D Carvill (Belvoir Park), D McNeill (Ballybofey & Stranorlar), G Flynn (Delgany), B O'Donovan (Bandon), M Poucher (Limerick), J Lyons (Galway), D Crowe (Dunmurry), D Coyne (Tuam), N O'Connor (Elm Park), D O'Donovan (Muskerry), K Canty (Douglas)

77: J Hughes (Douglas), V O'Dowd (Limerick), A Glynn (England), M Buggy (Castlecomer), J Foran (Thurles), P Cutler (Portstewart), S McSweeney (Cork), J Monaghan (The Island), J Mulready (Castle), J Fox (Portmarnock)

78: D Keating (Kinsale), D Moran (The Island), K McCarthy (Kinsale), S Hackett (Cork), M Rowe (Glasson), G Kelly (Co Louth), T Cleary (East Clare), A Darbey (Sutton), N Goulding (Portmarnock)

79: R O'Connor (The Island), D Ruddy (Thurles), K Stack (Dungarvan/UCC), D Rawluk (The Island), E O'Sullivan (The Island), G Adair (Douglas), A Lowe (Foxrock), B Walton (Island/UCD), R Cannon (L'town & B'town), A Hogan (Newlands/UCD)

80: J Waldron (Muskerry), M Crowe (Elm Park), J McGinn (L'town & B'town), G Smyth (Clonmel), P Connolly (Clontarf), M Clifford (Lucan), T O'Flynn (Fota island)

81: G Nugent (Kilkenny), H Boch (Ballybunion), P Sheehy (Limerick), A Condren (Greystones), J Mitchell (Tramore), A Dooley (Glasson), T O'Mahony (Mallow), S Webster (Castle), M Brett (Portmarnock), D Morris (Limerick)

82: T Neenan (Lahinch), J Cussen (Newcastle West), K O'Neill (Strandhill), D Byrne

(Douglas)

83: G Donaghy (U.S.A.), K Lewis (Skerries), D Connolly (Douglas)

84: B Loftus (Ennis), M Kemmy (Limerick)

85: F Flynn (L'town & B'town), L Butler (West Waterford)

NR: L Mulligan (Stackstown)

RTD: A Pitcher (The Island), M McGinley (Grange)

WTD: A McCully (Banbridge), C Daly (Castletroy).