Open practice for Pádraig after missing cut

Despite his obvious disappointment, Pádraig Harrington could see a plus in missing the halfway cut in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

Harrington joined fellow former British Open champions Ernie Els, Darren Clarke and Sandy Lyle crashing out of the event ahead of next week’s championship at Muirfield.

Harrington was three under par with four holes to play and needing to pick up just one birdie to be assured of playing all four rounds on the Gil Hanse designed course.

However, three pars and then a wild second shot left into rough at the last en route to par left Harrington with a round of 71 and missing the cut by a shot.

“The fact of the matter is I didn’t hole enough putts or hit it close whichever way you look at it, so I just wasn’t creating any momentum,” said Harrington.

“I will now go down to Muirfield and play 18 holes the next two days and that means I can take it easier Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

“So in that sense it’s good preparation for next week but it’s bad as I would have preferred to have four rounds and further competitive practice.”

In contrast to Harrington, Els is remaining at Skibo Castle for the weekend after his scores of 72 and 70 before his appointment on Monday morning to hand back the Claret Jug to R & A chief executive Peter Dawson.

Clarke had little joy either, with four birdies but just as many bogeys in his round of 72 for a three under tally.

Meath’s Damien McGrane kept his British Open hopes alive with a 69 to move to nine under par and just three shots behind Scotland’s Chris Doak who posted a second straight 66 and move one shot clear of the field on 12 under par.

McGrane needs to capture the Scottish Open to secure one of just two remaining spots into next week’s British Open and he set about that capping his second round with three straight birdies from the 13th hole.

“I hit good shots all day but no birdies and then all of a sudden I just peeled off three in-a-row, and was also unlucky on 16 because I could have easily birdied that hole.”

Paul McGinley and Gareth Maybin (70) are next best, with Europe’s Ryder Cup captain holing a 20-foot putt for double bogey at his last hole in a round of 72.

“The second shot into my last was probably the best shot I’ve hit all day and made such good contact from such a terrible lie in the rough, and I can’t believe it actually back spinned on a downslope,” said McGinley.

A day after Shane Lowry flattened a female spectator, a male marshal jumped up to stop any crowd movement just as Lowry was playing his second shot from a bunker at the sixth hole and then put his ball into another bunker on route to a double bogey.

Lowry then dropped further shots at 14 and 15 but holed a testy six-footer on 18 in a round of 73 to drop back to five under par and tied with McGinley and Maybin.

“It was a good putt to hole at the last but it was one of those days where I could do nothing right and to I just played poorly,” said Lowry.

“Then there was the episode with the marshal and you know what they are like when they get those boards in their hands.

“The good thing, and in next week’s bigger picture, I will now get to play four rounds but I need to start hitting better shots.”

Joining Harrington and Clarke in missing the cut was Simon Thornton (72) at three under par, Michael Hoey (69) on one under par, David Higgins (74) at three over and Peter Lawrie (71) on four over par.