Major winners flounder in wind

Ireland’s hopes of ending a 54-year BMW PGA Championship drought will not rest on its quartet of major champions, who all suffered early exits at Wentworth.

Current US Open champion Rory McIlroy, reigning Open champion Darren Clarke, who finished four over par, Graeme McDowell and Pádraig Harrington all missed the halfway cut in this €4.5 million tournament. So the challenge of joining 1958 PGA champion Harry Bradshaw as just the second Irish winner of this prestigious event will fall to Ireland’s lesser lights on the Tour, led by first-round co-leader Peter Lawrie, who will resume today five shots off the pace set by England’s James Morrison, who shot an eight-under-par 64 yesterday morning before the wind got up to lead at the halfway stage on 12 under par.

McIlroy, though, missed his second cut in as many starts this month following an early bath at The Players Championship and also faces losing his world number one status if Luke Donald secures a top-eight finish.