McDowell missing at resumption

The 3 Irish Open resumed after a five-hour delay for strong winds this afternoon – but new Co. Louth course record holder Graeme McDowell did not go back out.

A day after his sensational 61, 16 strokes better than his first round and the lowest round of his professional life, McDowell quit because of shin splints.

The Ulsterman had played eight holes in the morning gales before the suspension came just before 10am, but had three bogeys and a double bogey to drop from six under par to one under.

That put him 14 strokes adrift of shock halfway leader Shane Lowry, the 22-year-old Irish amateur playing his first-ever European Tour event.

Lowry had time to complete only one hole before it was decided the wind was too strong for play to continue.

He chipped to four feet on the first to rescue a par and so retained his two-shot lead over England’s Robert Rock, but Welshman Jamie Donaldson, joint second overnight, bogeyed the hole to go back to 13 under.

Conditions were still far from easy on the resumption, but in the two and three quarter hours that were possible at the start of the day the 73 players were a cumulative 117 over par.

McDowell spoke about his injury, but also said he felt it was "pretty ridiculous" that play was called off after the early starters had battled for eight holes.

“I feel a bit hard done by,” said the Ryder Cup player. “I didn’t think it was any worse.

“I was on the toughest nine in the toughest conditions and the leaders had just teed off, but you take the rough with the smooth.

“I had played myself out of the tournament and I felt I could jeopardise the next couple of weeks (by playing on).

“I picked up a bit of an injury on Thursday, yesterday it got progressively worse and walking from the range this morning I got on the phone to my physio.

“I’m not making any excuses, but I was really struggling to walk. It’s only my second withdrawal and not something I want to get in the habit of doing, but I couldn’t risk it with two big events coming up.

“They’re extremely swollen and not a lot of fun. It’s a matter of resting and icing it.”

He hopes to be back for the BMW PGA Championship starting at Wentworth on Thursday.