Price chasing huge pay-out

Three birdies in his first four holes put Welsh Ryder Cup star Phillip Price into the driving seat in the Smurfit European Open at the K Club near Dublin today.

Price, going for a £333,330 (€484,000) first prize that is even more than he earned for finishing second to Tiger Woods at the 2000 NEC World Championship in Akron, sank putts of 18, six and 12 feet to reach 12 under par.

The 36-year-old, yet to record a top-six finish this season and down to 157th in the world, was two ahead of playing partner and Ryder Cup team-mate Darren Clarke and three clear of Scot Alastair Forsyth.

Clarke, chasing his second victory in the event in three years, had to be content with one birdie in the opening stretch. He was on in two at the 568-yard fourth and his 60-foot eagle attempt only just missed.

Trying to get himself into contention – for the first time in ages at this stage of a tournament – was former European number one Lee Westwood, who turned in 34 and then birdied the 10th and 11th to be six under, six behind.

But Colin Montgomerie, having reached the same mark, had three successive bogeys from the sixth and at three under had given himself a mountain to climb. It then became Everest when he took six at the long 10th.

Taking much more interest in the par fives are Swede Klas Eriksson. He earned a diamond worth 3,000 euros for playing them better than anybody else in the first two rounds and at seven under was on target for the gem worth 150,000 euros.

That is offered to anybody reaching 14 under for the par fives – Thomas Bjorn did it two years ago – and Eriksson went to nine under when he eagled the 10th. For the championship itself he was eight under with four to play.

Earlier Padraig Harrington could not wait to get back to his bed after a third-successive 73.

The pre-tournament favourite, able to stay at home for one of Europe’s richest events, had counted himself out of the title hunt after surviving the halfway cut with nothing to spare.

But what his first two days’ work also meant was an early alarm call – and another was beckoning for Sunday morning as he failed to make any impact on the £2million event.

Two birdies in his first four holes hinted at better things to come from the world number eight, but all that followed was three bogeys and 11 pars for a three-over-par aggregate of 219.

Harrington is making his first appearance since the US Open three weeks ago and will not play again until the Open at Sandwich the week after next.

He insists he is not tempted to ask for a late entry into the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, preferring instead to work on his own on links courses in Ireland before flying to England next weekend.

“I know what I need to do,” he said. “It’s the usual stuff – play some links golf and ease myself in.

“I need to get my game in shape mentally. I’m not anywhere at the moment and I have to get sharper and more focused. I need to get the most out of rounds rather than the worst, which seems to be the case this week.

“But my performance here does not affect my confidence at all.”

It was a much better morning for English pair Shaun Webster and David Carter, who had a better-ball of 59 playing together.

Webster fired a 67 to move to five under and Carter a 67 to be three under.

Former Open champions Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle shot 69 and 70 respectively to stand two under and one under.