Lafeber's 64 leads wet European Open

Straffan, Ireland (Sports Network) - Maarten Lafeber fired a six-under 64 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Smurfit Kappa European Open.
Niclas Fasth, Gregory Havret, Jyoti Randhawa and Robert Rock shared second place at five-under 65.
Defending champion Stephen Dodd was at 66 alongside Soren Kjeldsen and Patrik Sjoland. Eight players were tied one shot further back at 67, and there were 49 players who broke par overall.
The low scores at the K Club were a result of more than just good play.
The weather forecast called for 40 mph winds and a driving rain, but the conditions were more benign than that. When it did rain, umbrellas were a common sight.
Prior downpours left the course soaked, and tees on seven holes were moved forward to negate the flooding that had occurred in the landing areas.
The 18th hole was converted from a par-five to a par-three, lowering the course's overall par from 72 to 70.
Which is how Lafeber, a 10-year pro with one career win, ended up with a 64 -- even after taking a couple of days off following a 36-hole British Open qualifier on Monday.
That meant skipping a practice round.
"I thought: refresh the mind, go home for a day and a half and come back on Wednesday afternoon," said Lafeber, who failed to qualify at Sunningdale. "I know the golf course well and my caddie came out and did some good preparation."
That preparation paid dividends quickly when the Dutchman rolled in six-foot putt at his first hole, the par-five 10th. The last birdie in his bogey-free round came when he chipped in at the par-three eighth.
Players praised the condition of the course.
"The greens are fantastic," said Fasth, who also played without a bogey. "You almost can't tell it's been raining, which is a huge testament to the people here setting it all up for us. It's fantastic."
The recent weather also had little effect on the gallery size, which reached nearly 23,000 spectators. Many of them followed Irishman Padraig Harrington, who won the Irish Open earlier this season.
Harrington disappointed, but remained in the mix with a one-over 71. U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera also shot a 71 in his first start on the European Tour since holding off Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk at Oakmont last month.