England's Matthew Baldwin finished a shot further back on 15-under par tied with Soren Kjeldsen from Denmark and France's Thomas Levet.

CNN: Singh sees off Molinari to seize Scottish Open crown

But team-mates Paul McGinley, Thomas Levet and Paul Casey, who were all due to play, have opted to rest after their heroics at Oakland Hills.

BBC: SPORT | Golf | Ryder heroes return

Nick Dougherty, Alastair Forsyth and Thomas Levet all battled well to finish on 10 under on a day when strong winds and driving rain forced a five-hour delay in play at the County Louth course.

BBC: Lowry stays top in Irish Open

He was one shot ahead of Scotland's 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie, who was tied in another big group including Frenchmen Thomas Levet and Jean Van de Velde, the runner-up at Carnoustie in 1999.

CNN: Barham blasts to early lead in Austrian Open