Graeme McDowell: Grinds out a decent first round at Irish Open
![Graeme McDowell plays a shot during the first round of the Irish Open](https://www.northernirelandworld.com/webimg/legacy_oak_106096701.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65&enable=upscale)
![Graeme McDowell plays a shot during the first round of the Irish Open](/img/placeholder.png)
Graeme McDowell was in danger of getting off to a poor start in his bid for a first win since 2015, but birdied three of his last six holes to finish one under at Thursday's first round of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Championship..
"It was a grinding performance but nice to turn a 75 into a 71," McDowell said after his round at Ballyliffin Golf Club.
"It was one of those days that could have got away from me so I was happy to keep it under control and post something half decent."