No winter rules, no muddy shoes - Baltray was the place yesterday for enjoyable, seasonal golf in the Guinness-sponsored Links Society outing. And the scoring, after a shot-gun start, reflected the conditions with John Hutchinson claiming the top, nett prize after a sparkling, five-under-par 68.

As it happened, he was only a stroke clear of his closest challenger, Charlesland four-handicapper Peter O'Hagan, who averted a clean sweep of the top prizes by members of links courses. These included Des Smyth, who claimed the gross award despite the shock of four-putting the ninth.

Hutchinson has been a category-one player for more than 20 years as a member of Royal Dublin. Enduring skills were very much in evidence, however, in a round which contained four birdies and a lone bogey, at the short 15th, where he was bunkered. Precise approach play allowed him to hit 17 greens in regulation and his only poor shot was a pulled drive at the fourth, where he still made birdie.

Having started on the 10th, he finished impressively, hitting a five-wood 280 yards off the tee downwind at the ninth.

"Baltray has always been something of a bogey course for me, which made this all the more enjoyable," he said.

Ernie Els finished one behind leader Trevor Dodds of Namibia after a first round 67 in the Sunshine Tour's Players' Championship in Cape Town yesterday.

Darren Clarke, playing the afternoon breeze, could manage only a 71.

Ireland's hopes of making an effort to win back the LG-PGA European Team Championship title at the Citrus Club, Tunisia, took a nosedive yesterday as they slid back down the leaderboard

From their two best cards out of three, Michael Allen, Stephen Hamill and John Dwyer had a best 147 (three over par) to go into the last round today in eighth position.