Damian Mooney, Jimmy Bolger and Shane Jenkinson could not be separated at the top of the leaderboard at the Conor O’Dwyer Charity Pro-Am in Kilkea Castle.
All three players carded rounds of 66 to finish on four-under-par as they carried on some good form from last week’s Irish PGA Championship.
Mooney rolled in four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys with his eagle coming on the par-5 5th hole.
Three birdies in four holes put him into the early lead on five-under but he let a shot go late on with a bogey on the par-3 16th to drop back into a share.
Kilkenny’s Bolger put the disappointment of last week’s final round in Palmerstown behind him and he roared out of the traps with birdies on the 2nd, 5th, 7th and 9th to race out in 32.
A quieter back nine saw him drop a shot on 15 but he recovered with a birdie on 15 to ensure he claimed a share of the spoils.
Meanwhile, Jenkinson of the Island was bogey free on his way to the top with birdies on the 2nd, 6th, 10th and 17th.
Mount Wolseley’s Sean O’Donoghue, David Barry of Douglas, Glasson’s Colm Moriarty, Liam Power of Rathfarnham and Keith Shannon of Cloverhill finished a shot off the pace on three-under after rounds of 67.
