McGinley on glory hunt at new-look Old Course

IT was a relatively uneventful second morning of the 1996 Open Championship at Royal Lytham St Annes when Paul McGinley struck.

A beautifully played nine-iron pitched once and then rolled gracefully into the ninth hole for an ace that shot the Irishman to the top of the leaderboard.

From there home, most things he touched turned to gold, until he stood on the 18th tee leading the championship by a shot. Sadly, that hole cost him a stroke but at the halfway stage he was still tied for the lead after rounds of 69 and 65.