Brian Casey in command

Ireland’s Brian Casey (c) Agathe Séron

Ireland’s Brian Casey took command of proceedings on day one of the 2014 Open International de la Mirabelle d’Or firing a brilliant five under par 65 at Golf de La Grange aux Ormes to lead the field by three shots.

The 23-year-old went to the turn -He started at 10 thtee- in four under 31 with birdies at the 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th. On the back nine he added further birdies on four, six, eight and nine, offset by dropped shots at five and seven.

Casey finished tied for 36th on his last Alps Tour outing, the Open Peugeot at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.

Spain’s Juan Antonio Bragulat, France’s Leo Lespinasse and Englishman Andrew Cooley are locked together in second place on three under par.

Cooley rattled off five birdies in a row from the second before a dropped shot at the par three seventh halted his progress. Two further birdies followed at the 14th and 15th but his good work was undone by a double-bogey at the 16th and a bogey at the par four 18th.

Spain’s Borja Etchart and French duo Xavier Poncelet and Jean-Pierre Verselin are four shots behind the leader on two under par.