Irish eyes are smiling as Harrington ties for lead
No fewer than five players, including Pádraig Harrington, are tied for the lead on six under par at the halfway stage. They are a single stroke ahead of three more players, including the remarkable 49-year-old Des Smyth. No fewer than 25 are separated by three shots and eight cover the entire field. It’s not outside the bounds of reality to suggest than any of the 83 survivors could walk off with the old claret jug tomorrow evening. For now, though, it’s the quintet of Pádraig Harrington (67 yesterday), 1986 US PGA champion Bob Tway (66), the so-called “smiling assassin” from Japan, Shigeki Maruyama (68), South African Ernie Els (66) and the American with the awful taste in Hawaiian shirts, Duffy Waldorf (69), in pole position.
And you have to believe that if Ireland’s passionate desire for a first Open triumph since Fred Daly back in 1947 is to be ever satisfied, then this must be the year. Harrington is the most favourably placed of our three strong contingent for now (disappointingly, Paul McGinley missed the cut by two) but the veteran Smyth is so happy in himself and playing so well that he shouldn’t be discounted. Furthermore, one of those lurking in the long grass three off the pace is Darren Clarke, who is capable of beating anyone if he can putt as well as he did yesterday.
World-class golfers are frequently asked the most serious of questions and few more than Pádraig Harrington. Golf fans don’t need to be reminded of his sequence of runners-up finishes - it grew to seventeen in particularly disappointing circumstances at the recent Smurfit European Open - and his four victories on the European Tour are scant recognition of his outstanding ability. In the two majors already this year, he has led by three strokes after 27 holes in the Masters at Augusta and by two at the same stage of the US Open. Finishing off the job has been his problem and experience combined with the man’s innate intelligence mean that he is not getting ahead of himself. “It’s a good position to be in but remember that we’re still only halfway there,” noted Harrington.
Harrington wasted no time in building on Thursday’s opening 69. Beautiful approach play set up birdie chances from eight and four feet at the 2nd and 3rd which were gratefully accepted and it became a hat-trick of gains when his perfectly struck six iron to just over a yard was converted at the short 4th. However, as with other players, most notably Ernie Els who birdied seven of the first nine to be out in 29, Harrington was unable to maintain the momentum. The chance on offer at the long 5th was not availed of when he missed the green to the right with his second and he tangled with the fearsome rough to make his first concession at the 8th.
A birdie at the par five 9th still had him out in 33. Uncharacteristically, he three putted the 10th; typically, he atoned immediately for the unforced error by nursing home a 20-footer at the 11th. It was par all the way from there to the 17th where he hit two cracking woods to the back of the green and safely two putted for birdie number six.
“I said on Tuesday that a dozen guys would have a chance coming in here on Sunday and I still think I’m right,” he said.
Des Smyth was really like the cat that got the cream after another magnificent day’s work. It was not alone his golfing talent but also his courage on the golf course and his courtesy once the day was done that earned him the admiration of the Muirfield thousands. He had insisted all week that his primary objective was to make the cut and anything else would be a bonus.
“That’s been achieved and now my aim for the weekend is to try and stay in the top fifteen and so come back again next year,” he beamed. “I’m lapping it all up. It was the weakest part of my game of late I’ve hit some really good irons over the past few days.”
Survival into the weekend ceased to be a problem once Smyth began the day with four solid pars and then reached the green at the 560 yards 5th with a drive and three wood for his first birdie. The shot that pleased him most, however, came at the 185 yards 7th, where he holed from 12 feet for a two. He went on to reach the edge of the long 9th with a drive and two iron and two putts saw him out in 33, six under par, and leading the tournament on his own.
A visit to the right rough cost him a shot at the 11th but otherwise Smyth stuck rigidly to par, demonstrating once again that his iron play is back where he wants it by cracking a five iron to twelve feet below a very tricky pin position. He missed the putt, but he wasn’t complaining.
Tomorrow’s draw has thrown up the fascinating pairing of Tiger Woods and Mark O’Meara who are both on four under. Harrington plays with Waldorf, Smyth with the Swede and Clarke with 2001 US Open champion Retief Goosen.
IRISH golfers have challenged for the Open many times since the old claret jug came here for the only time, courtesy of the late Fred Daly at Hoylake in 1947.
However, they have never had three players within striking distance of the halfway lead as they currently have at Muirfield.
Other notable Irish performances include:
* 1948 - Fred Daly runner-up to Bobby Locke at Muirfield.
* 1949 - Harry Bradshaw beaten in play-off by Locke at Royal St Georges.
The Championship is often referred to as the “ball in the bottle” Open when the Irishman opted to play from a broken bottle.
He subsequently learned he could have dropped without penalty.
* 1958 - Christy O’Connor Snr missed Peter Thomson-Dave Thomas’s play-off by one shot at Royal Lytham St Annes.
Bogeyed 18 when out of control crowd narrowed the landing area by 50%.
* 1965 - O’Connor Senior runner-up to Thomson at Birkdale.
* 1982 - Des Smyth fourth, two shots behind Tom Watson at Troon.
* 1985 - Christy O’Connor Jnr third behind Sandy Lyle at Royal St Georges.
after tying for the lead for much of final round.
* 1989 - David Feherty missed Mark Calcavecchia, Greg Norman, Wayne Grady by two shots at Turnberry.
* Eamonn Darcy third behind Ian Baker-Finch at Birkdale in 1991.
* 1987 - Darren Clarke second behind Justin Leonard.
after leading on the 2nd tee in the last round.
2001 - Clarke third behind David Duval at Lytham.
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