Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington birdied three of the last five holes to take a share of the lead after the first round of the PGA Grand Slam at a breezy Mid Ocean Club.

The Irishman shot a two-under par 68 yesterday as did American Jim Furyk, who recorded an eagle-three at the par-five 11th during an up-and-down round that also included three birdies and three bogeys.

Retief Goosen managed to stay in touch with the leaders with a relatively error-free round, firing a level-par 70, which started with seven straight pars.

Like much of his season, however, the South African was hampered by some poor form on the greens, and several times had to scramble to save par.

Goosen's fellow countryman Trevor Immelman had one of those days when nothing went right.

The Masters champion slumped to a six-over par 76, double-bogeying the 11th after finding the trees off the tee, and the 16th after his bogey putt lipped out.

It summed up the South African's luck for the round, and barring a major collapse by his playing companions has more than likely consigned him to fourth place for the event.

Despite the differences in scoring, however, all four found yesterday tough going, with the day's play more a war of attrition than an exhibition of golfing excellence.

The quartet, with seven major titles between them, took five hours and 52 minutes to negotiate their way around the undulating course, with greens that Furyk described as 'severe'.

"It's difficult to get the speed of the greens, they are very quick and very severe by design," he said.

Such was the difficulty of the course set-up that Harrington admitted to being intimidated by it.

"Out here it's quite claustrophobic at times, you have trouble down both sides of the fairway," said Harrington.

"If you put the ball in the air too long, it can move anywhere basically and you're always trying to lay up a little bit here.

"I'm certainly intimidated off the tee on this golf course in the crosswind. There's plenty of trouble out there."

Harrington has had plenty of experience in conditions like this, not least at this year's Open Championship.

"I've had years of playing in those conditions," he said.

"I grew up on a golf course with a lot of undulation in the greens, and it being windy as well, so I've been well used to getting in positions where you short-side yourself and you can't really get to the pin because of it.

"So I've been familiar with it, this experience."

For Goosen it has been a year of poor form on the greens, and yesterday summed up his season in one round.

"It was pretty quiet out there," he said. "There were a couple of birdies, but I'm not sure if they (the spectators) enjoyed us whacking from everywhere. It wasn't good.

"The greens are tricky. The two putts are extremely quick, especially the downwind putts.

"It's very difficult to get the right placement.

"Even when you're going uphill or going downhill, you're playing a lot of crosswind shots so you hit the wrong shape and you end up a long way from the flag. You're going to struggle from a long way away, that's what I had today.

"I could stand there all day and not leave it short."