Padraig Harrington in pursuit as Ryo Hisatsune leads at Ras Al Khaimah Championship

Padraig Harrington was the best of the Irish after day one of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in UAE this afternoon.

The Dubliner hit four birdies and a bogey to get around in three under par 69, five off leader Ryo Hisatsune. The Japanese player was two clear of the chasing pack after managing nine birdies across the day, with the only blot on his card a bogey on the 18th hole.

Edoardo Molinari, Rasmus Hojgaard and Matthew Baldwin are the trio in chase on six under par.

Harrington birdied the par 5 eighth after an up and down from the greenside bunker. That followed a tap-in birdie on another par 5 - the third - before once again finding sand on the par 5 14th, where he rescued a birdie.

The 51-year-old was a shot clear of Tom McKibbin, who started on the 10th hole. He reached the turn at level par, after two birdies and two bogeys. He left himself a three-footer to birdie the third, before nailing a 10-foot putt on the par 4 sixth.

Gary Hurley rescued a round of 72 after a disastrous start, which saw him bogey his first three holes - the 10th, 11th and 12th. He had recovered to one over by the turn, but would fall back to two over once more after a three putt on the second, and a visit to the bunker on the fourth.

His eventful round continued as a brilliant approach shot from the rough on the fifth left him a two-footer for birdie, which he duly converted, before sinking a monster 30 foot putt on the seventh.

John Murphy would end the day on two over par after a consistent round, which saw him par 16 of the holes, with dropped shots on one and 13.

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