Ah, summertime in England. Sun cream? Bikinis? Ice cream? Well, not quite; for the five hours-plus grind inflicted on him at the Forest of Arden yesterday, Paul McGinley resembled someone more likely to set out on an arctic expedition as the woolly hat was firmly wrapped onto his head and wasn't removed until the post-round sanctuary of the cosy locker room was reached.

Of the eight Irish players in the field, none managed to break par. Yet, that stark statistic was not as grim as it would appear.

"I'm quite pleased. I played well," claimed McGinley, who along with Damien McGrane on level-par 72 fronted the Irish challenge on a day when stiff crosswinds and firm fairways made for a tough test.

Indeed, but for leaving a bunker shot in a greenside trap with his first attempt on the ninth hole, McGinley could have finished under par.

His approach to the ninth finished on the upslope of the bunker and, as you'd expect, the only thought in the player's mind was to hole out.

"I was just trying to pop it out and let it run down. It was only a yard away from being very good," said the Dubliner, before thinking about it further. "It was bad execution," he added.

Still, casting an eye over the leaderboard by the 18th green, McGinley had more positive thoughts than negative ones.

"If I can go out (in the second round) and get a good score, I'll be right in the middle of it," said McGinley.

Such positive vibes weren't to be found with Darren Clarke, who nevertheless was in jocular mood after an opening-round 74.

"Do you know, that's the worst I've ever driven the ball. I didn't swing the driver well at all. I've been working with Pete (Cowan) on trying to shorten my swing a bit, and my body's getting out of sync. I just want to get more control of my swing," he said.

There have been times in the past when such a round (he only hit two fairways all day) would have left dark clouds hovering over his head. Not yesterday, though. Pointing to his caddie, Billy Foster, he retold the little talk that had taken place between the two on the 17th green as Clarke assessed an eight-footer for birdie.

"Do you know how he read the putt? He said, 'it's just inside a cup outside on the left'. And he's from England, he's not even one of us," quipped Clarke, before heading out to the practice range.

Graeme McDowell bogeyed two of his last three holes to also sign for an opening-round 74, claiming that his iron play was particularly poor.

"If I'd hit my irons where I'd wanted to, I'd have been pretty dangerous. But the lead's three under, and I'm two over. There's a lot of golf left to be played."