Evergreen Paul just having fun

Paul McGinley is in his 46th year, 25 of which he has spent as a professional golfer, so he knows full well how ill-advised it would be to take anything for granted.

However, a series of outstanding performances in recent weeks — he has been third, sixth, 33rd and seventh in his last four tournament appearances — put the Dubliner in the best possible frame of mind heading for Portrush this week and yet another appearance in the Irish Open.

With 15 holes of yesterday’s second round completed, he was within touching distance of the leaders before running up bogeys at the short seventh and the par five ninth, where he four-putted from off the front edge of the green. True to form, though, he gritted his teeth and found several positives to reflect on from his two rounds over a links on which he was twice a beaten finalist in the North of Ireland in his amateur days.