Golf: Harrington horror as Torrance turns screw

Sam Torrance and Padraig Harrington, joint fourth overnight in the Benson and Hedges International Open at The Belfry, went their separate ways at the start of the second round today.

While Ryder Cup captain Torrance sank a 14-foot birdie putt on the 10th to join playing partner Jose Maria Olazabal in second place at five under, Harrington double-bogeyed the hole and crashed to two under.

The Irishman, who finished his opening 68 with successive birdies, saw his pitch over the water spin off the green to his clear disgust.

After deciding to play his next shot from the same spot he almost did the same thing, but the ball this time stopped on the edge of the lake.

Torrance’s birdie took him only one behind leaders Paul McGinley and Swede Henrik Stenson, both of whom were among the later starters.

Colin Montgomerie, needing to improve on his opening 73 in all probability to avoid a third successive missed cut, had to work hard for his par at the 311-yard 10th.

The Scot’s approach flew over the green into the same bunker from where Lee Westwood had holed for birdie yesterday. But Montgomerie came out of the sand 12 feet short of the hole and was a much relieved man to make the putt.

His playing partner Thomas Bjorn pitched to a yard and that birdie lifted the Dane into the group on four under.

Westwood, also round in 73 yesterday, was another late starter, but former winner Bernhard Langer resumed with two birdies to go to two over and ease his worries about being around for the weekend.

It did not take long for Torrance and Harrington to be back together.

While Harrington, the man disqualified when five clear last year because of a scorecard blunder, birdied the 384-yard 13th Torrance bogeyed the 12th and 13th.

Olazabal parred the first five to remain five under, one behind McGinley and Stenson, and found himself sharing third place again when New Zealander Elliot Boult, having bogeyed the first, birdied the next two.