Owen starts poorly

A bad start today left Greg Owen needing to pull out all the stops to achieve his dream of a Masters debut in a fortnight’s time.

Owen – who would have been certain to play at Augusta if he had not finished double bogey, bogey to lose the Bay Hill Invitational last Sunday – resumed the Players Championship in joint 41st place.

He required a top-20 finish to have any chance of climbing into the world’s top 50 in time for the first major of the year, but the Mansfield golfer set off in the second round with a double-bogey six.

Owen, in the rough off the tee and short of the green in two, then three-putted – missing from under three feet to bring back memories of his horror 17th hole last weekend.

Currently 53rd in the world rankings, Owen did come back with a birdie on the long second this time – but following that with four successive pars meant he was in a tie for 66th spot at level par and battling to survive the halfway cut.

Jim Furyk and Davis Love, leaders overnight at seven under, were among the later starters – and 48-year-old Bernhard Langer took the opportunity to close the gap on them.

Europe’s Ryder Cup captain two years ago – keen to be back as part of the side at the K Club near Dublin in September – pitched to within three feet of the flag on the 12th, his third, to improve to six under and third place on his own in an event where he has twice finished runner-up.

Playing partner Fredrik Jacobson, the man Langer left out in favour of Luke Donald for Detroit, was himself five under after an 18-foot eagle putt on the long 11th.

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, set off again with two birdies to climb to two under - and his playing partner Darren Clarke also made four at the long 11th and stood level par.

Twice runner-up Padraig Harrington, however, bogeyed the first and double-bogeyed the fourth to slump to four over.

The six came when he was bunkered in two, went over the green from there and left his chip nine feet short.