Harrington happy despite slump, McGinley out

Padraig Harrington went from one ahead to five behind today at the Linde German Masters – but was still smiling. Ryder Cup team-mate Paul McGinley missed the cut after he finished with a 75 for seven over.

McGinley, who played 10 weeks in a row to make the team, was left wondering whether he should have taken a second week off.

“I came here late and in hindsight maybe that was wrong,” he said. “Either I should have prepared properly for this or stayed away. I was flat all week and played poorly.”

Harrington crashed from seven under to only three under, dropping shots at the 16th and 18th and then taking a double-bogey seven on the long third.

Yet the Dubliner commented: “I didn’t play any worse and even shooting 75 (he opened with a 66) I’m still happy with my form.

“You want to be going in the right direction before the Ryder Cup – not playing your best game, but going in the right direction. I played lovely early on, but kept leaving myself awkward putts.

“Then I got distracted by a marshal before my third shot to the third.”

He caught it fat, then left his chip short as well and missed a three-foot putt.

The new joint leaders were France’s Raphael Jacquelin and Australian left-hander Nick O’Hern, who had their second successive 68s and took over at the top when German Alex Cejka bogeyed the last two holes to slip to third.

France’s Thomas Levet, another member of the cup side, was lying fourth after playing his last nine holes in five under, but Montgomerie and McGinley were five over par with two to play.

Montgomerie bogeyed the 17th and 18th and double-bogeyed the first after playing partner McGinley had been unable to recover from two opening bogeys.

That put them joint 96th of the 129 players left in following the disqualification yesterday of Ian Woosnam, who walked off after two balls went in the lake on his final hole, and the withdrawals of Maarten Lafeber and Roger Chapman.

Only the leading 70 and ties at the completion of the second round qualify for the final 36 holes this weekend and midway through the day the cut-off mark was two over par.

Last year the axe fell at four under and Ian Poulter led at halfway at 16 under, but the Gut Larchenhof course has been toughened up considerably since then and there was a testing wind.

Poulter, another of the cup side, was among the later starters and he had his work cut out this time to stay alive in the £2m (€2.9m).

He managed only a four-over 76 yesterday, just one better than Miguel Angel Jimenez – first and second the last two weeks.