Dredge misses out on milestone

Welshman Bradley Dredge continued to lead the Smurfit Kappa European Open in wet and windy Dublin today – but he was not going to achieve a feat last achieved on the European tour 14 years ago.

Dredge, paired with the World Cup-winning partner Stephen Dodd, did not record a bogey in reaching halfway one ahead on nine under par and he then began his third round with three birdies and three pars.

But any hopes the 33-year-old had of matching David Russell’s 72 holes without dropping a shot in winning the 1992 Lyon Open in France ended when he missed the green with his pitch to the long seventh and then failed to gt up and down.

The bogey six dropped Dredge, chasing only his second tour title in almost 200 attempts, to 11 under and still on course for a £400,000 victory that could lift him to 10th in the Ryder Cup table, into the world’s top 50 – and even a place in September’s HSBC World Match Play at Wentworth, where golf’s biggest prize of £1m is up for grabs.

With 10 holes to play today he was three clear of Spain’s Jose Manuel Lara, while Dodd was seven under and joint third with England’s Anthony Wall and Indian Jeev Milkha Singh.

Darren Clarke, third overnight and the main hope for a home victory, birdied two of the first three holes, but while he picked up another shot at the short eighth there were also bogeys on the fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth. They left him six under.

Earlier Paul McGinley, who expected to be watching sports day at his children’s school this afternoon, instead capitalised on a massive stroke of luck and reigniting his bid for the Ryder Cup.

The 39-year-old finished his second round in 91st place at lunchtime yesterday and thought he had no chance of surviving the cut.

Six hours later, however, and after he had nearly flown home to London he received the news that he was still alive in the £2.4m tournament.

This morning he fired a five under par 67 to charge through the field – and with a forecast of bad weather later in the day everything appeared to be going in his favour all of a sudden.

“I was on a 5pm flight yesterday, but it was delayed until 5.45pm and at a quarter past my wife rang and said the scores were tumbling and I’d better hang around,” commented McGinley.

“If the flight hadn’t been delayed I probably would have gone. There was also a bomb scare at Dublin Airport, but Aer Lingus were brilliant. They got me off the flight, found my case and delivered my clubs later.”

This season McGinley, the match-winning hero of the 2002 Ryder Cup and unbeaten in Detroit two years ago, has slipped from fourth to eighth in the points table and was concerned a third cap was slipping away from him.

“I was in a slump – no doubt or question about it,” he added. “I’ve analysed every part of my life and my game and this proves to me I’m on the right track. It definitely gives me a boost.

“I don’t think it’s been pressure. I’ve just lost my form. All I can put it down to are the peaks and trough that every professional sportsman has.

“Hopefully I’m entering another peak. I need it.”

McGinley’s six birdies moved him onto the three under par mark of 213 and made him the early leader in the clubhouse until Lee Westwood, another fighting his way out of a slump, also scored 67 to be four under.

Because of the predicted bad weather forward tees were in use at the first, third, fifth and 16th holes, reducing the length of the lay-out by a total of 128 yards, while hole locations were moved to more sheltered areas and the decision was also taken not to cut the greens.

And the overall length was further reduced by moving several other tees to forward positions on the back tees.

Padraig Harrington had a good morning too, scoring a 69 to improve to two under.

McGinley had been paired with Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam in the first two rounds, but said that far from it applying the pressure on him it had been beneficial.

“Woosie was supportive, not on my case. That’s what you want from a captain - you don’t want to feel under pressure when he’s around and I didn’t. The captain is very important now.”