McDowell sharing Open lead

Updated 20.19 Thu Jul 17 2008
Keywords: Graeme McDowell, padraig harrington, the open, the open championship, the open golf, sport, golf

Graeme McDowell came out smiling after a day of wind and rain at the Open Championship.

The 28-year-old Northern Irishman had the luck of the draw to be out late as conditions eased at Royal Birkdale and joined American Rocco Mediate and Australian Robert Allenby in the clubhouse lead with a one-under-par 69.

The 28-year-old Northern Irishman had the luck of the draw to be out late as conditions eased at Royal Birkdale and joined American Rocco Mediate and Australian Robert Allenby in the clubhouse lead with a one-under-par 69

McDowell, Mediate and Allenby all birdied the two closing holes - two of only four downwind - to break par.

Defending champion Padraig Harrington was happy to finish 74 given the atrocious conditions and a wrist injury.

England's Justin Rose, fourth on the links as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998, matched the Irishman's effort, while Scotland's Colin Montgomerie went one better.

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