Harrington faces wait for injury tests

IRISH Ryder Cup star Padraig Harrington will not discover the results of tests on his ankle and neck until the weekend.

Fifth, eighth and fifth in the first three majors of this season, Harrington twisted his ankle during the Dutch Open in July and just when he thought he was over that, he injured his neck midway through the US PGA championship in Minneapolis last month.

Only intensive treatment on and off the course got the Dubliner through that and the following week's NEC world championship in Seattle, when the ankle trouble returned.

Keen to be fully fit for the Ryder Cup match now only three weeks away, he has been resting since, but is due to return at next week's German Masters in Cologne.

So too is team-mate Colin Montgomerie, who pulled out of the NEC event after 27 holes because of a recurrence of back trouble and chose not to play in last week's BMW International Open in Munich.

Both are obvious concerns for captain Sam Torrance, who might have been expected to give them a maximum five games at The Belfry, but now must consider the risks of over-working them.

Ian Poulter is first reserve, but the chances of Montgomerie or Harrington pulling out of the match altogether are thought to be remote.

It's tough at the top and getting tougher as the halfway mark is reached in the 72-holes Carlsberg West Coast Challenge over the Bundoran, Donegal, Strandhill and Enniscrone links.

Former winner Tony Sheridan from The Island Club in Dublin, the first round leader, is hotly pursued by a group of players who are just one point behind Sheridan's 82.

Sheridan, cut by two to 10 after his massive 46 points at Enniscrone on Monday, carded 36 points at Bundoran yesterday but storming up the leaderboard was Shane Sharkey.

The Carrick-on-Shannon player, playing off 19, posted a fabulous 44 from Strandhill the best score of the day to soar to 81 and equal the halfway standing of Michael Craddock and Cormac Garvey. Craddock from Thurles is also a former winner and signalled that he wants the trophy back by carding 42 points at Strandhill while Stackstown member Garvey collected 36 at Bundoran after opening with 45 at Enniscrone.

Top of the leaderboard at Bundoran was two time GAA Allstar Nudie Hughes from Castleblayney. The ex-Monaghan and Ulster footballer carded 40 points to slot into joint fifth place overnight with Newlands member James Keogh.

There were four players in the 40s at Enniscrone on Monday but the Co Sligo track was playing tougher yesterday with the best score being 38 points. Sean Redmond from Arklow carded the best score of the day, 41 points, at Donegal.

Strabane member John Wylie is unlikely to be in the shake-up tomorrow night but his tournament has already been made for him. Yesterday, he aced the 142-metres 16th hole to win a special plaque. Not only that, the eight-handicapper finished 1-4-3 for eagle-birdie-birdie and collect 10 points over the last three holes.

That brought his total for the day to 37 points and also gave him fourth prize at Bundoran.