SWEPT along by the skill and generosity of his distinguished playing partners, Padraig Harrington gave the Irish challenge a splendid start at Lytham yesterday. In his first ever round in the British Open, the 25 year old shot a 68 which was all the more creditable for an opening bogey.

"He's a nice guy and a very strong player who produced some terrific golf," said Fred Couples. "It certainly didn't look like this was his first attempt at the championship." As it happened, a four under par round for the 1992 US Masters winner and the same score from former Ryder Cup player Mark McCumber, means that Harrington's group were a total of 11 under par.

It was a wonderful performance by a player who had delivered a wonderful lift to the Irish game by capturing the Spanish Open title earlier this year. And he had many admirers among yesterday's galleries. "I knew they were Irish because they got my name right," he smiled.

He then acknowledged the support of his playing partners. "They were tremendous company making it a brilliant experience, he said. "When they started making birdies early on, they bought me along with them. They sort of made me feel that I had to do myself justice."

He did. And Paul McGinley, another player who first experienced this stretch in much more lush condition during the Lytham Trophy, also had reasons to be pleased with a round of 69.

Conscious of the importance of the occasion, Harrington made an understandably nervous start, hitting a four iron over the green at the 206 yard first. And he had to get up and down to save par at the second. From then on, however, he settled into a productive rhythm and had his first birdie at the long seventh where he recovered brilliantly from a greenside trap to two feet.

Further progress was achieved at the long 11th, where he got close to the green with a three wood second shot and then chipped to six feet from a horrible lie. He then produced one of his best shots of the round - a five iron to 10 feet for a birdie at the treacherous, 198 yard 12th.

After that, he minded his work before another birdie came at the 357 yard 16th which he reduced to a two iron, wedge and six foot putt. And he finished the round in style, cutting a driver beautifully into the middle of the fairway, off the left hand trap. With 132 yards to the pin into a gentle, left to right breeze, an eight iron went over the flag to set up a simple, two putt par.

McGinley was pleased, even with three bogeys on his card. From almost five years' experience on Tour, he could appreciate the difficulty of avoiding serious danger on a fast running links dotted with bunkers. "My caddie (Scotsman, Jimmy Rae) was worth a couple of shots to me, he said afterwards.

He went on: "As far as I'm concerned, any score under par is a good score in the British Open, irrespective of the conditions." Compatriot, David Feherty, would clearly have empathised with that view after a miserable 77 in which he claimed he had done little wrong. "My only serious error was to take two out of a fairway bunker at the long 11th" he said. "It cost me a double bogey," said Feherty.

In the event, a five iron second shot onto the green at the 490 yard sixth, set up a two putt birdie for McGinley. He also birdied the long seventh, recovering from a greenside bunker to six feet. The 334 yard 10th was reduced to a four iron, nine iron and 15 foot putt and he also birdied the 16th, where he sank a 25 footer.

Darren Clarke was also pleased to be in red figures, even if his ego took a bit of a hammering from the power of playing partner Tiger Woods. "That guy is seriously long," said the Ulsterman. "I hit a pretty good drive down the seventh and he was a good 90 yards outside me.

Clarke birdied that hole and he also birdied the long 11th where a sandwedge third shot was followed by a 15 foot putt. His best shot of the round, however, was a beautifully judged, eight iron "flier" out of rough at the 15th which travelled 200 yards to six feet for the third birdie of the round.

Philip Walton put a respectable look on a potentially bleak round with a birdie, birdie finish for a 72. One over par playing the 16th, which is considered to be a birdie chance, he found himself in all sorts of trouble. His tee shot went right; his second found a bush on the left from where he was forced to play left handed. And from a position through the green in three, he ran up a double bogey six.

But he finished strongly, hitting a six iron to eight feet for a birdie, and a wedge to three feet for another birdie on the last. "I'm proud of the way I stayed with it," he said afterwards.

Des Smyth was honest enough to admit that he had "got away with murder" by parring the last hole, also in a round of 72. "After blocking my drive badly right, I'm thinking this could cost me a seven," he said afterwards. But it didn't. Instead, the ball came to rest about two feet from an unplayable lie; he hit a five iron of 170 yards onto the green and two putted for an improbable par.

In certain respects it was a reasonable outcome, given a double bogey at the third where he pushed a three iron tee shot down the right and later threeputted. He then went on to birdie the seventh, 10th, 11th and 13th but gave most of them back.

Eamonn Darcy, who missed the cut here in 1988, knows he has a battle on his hands if he is to survive into the weekend after an opening 73. "I didn't play well," he admitted. "I've got a badly inflamed neck which became very painful towards the end of the round."

Significantly, he covered the last seven holes in two over, but his bogey at the short 12th was a very creditable effort, given that he blocked a three iron out of bounds and sank a 15 footer for a two off his second ball.