Padraig Harrington has a share of the lead with Trevor Imelman on eleven under par after the second day of the Madrid Open. The pair are three shots clear of a group of three players, including Des Smyth, who shot a 63, the second lowest round of his 29-year career. Smyth is level with Adam Scott who managed to complete his round, and Maarten Lafeber, who has five holes left to play.
After going to the turn in 31, Harrington moved three clear of the field and eight ahead of his rival for the European Order of Merit, Retief Goosen. The South African then played the front nine in 31 for a 69, while Harrington bogeyed two of his last five holes.
Harrington said: “The one at the last came because I fell asleep. I was thinking about lunch or something. I thought my day's work was over, and it wasn't. I was not looking at what Retief was doing. It's hard enough to control what I am doing. But overall I'm happy. I'm leading, and you are always going to hit some bad shots.”
Fellow Irishman Des Smyth begins his attempt to make next year’s US Seniors Tour in two weeks at Marsh Creek, Jacksonville, Florida. "This is my last event," said Smyth. "I won't be playing any more in Europe as a tour player. I have to play my best to qualify for the US Seniors, so this is very encouraging."
The 49-year-old is delighted with his current form, which comes after a so-far mediocre season. “The edge is coming back to my game just at the right time. I've been cruising too much for the last 18 months," said Smyth. "I got very excited about my back nine today, so much so I thought I'd shot 64! Then I discovered it was 63. I don't think I've ever broken 30 on nine holes before. I'm really thrilled. I putted beautifully,” he said.
Paul McGinley is three over after shooting a 76. Graeme McDowell finished the day’s play on three over after 15 holes. Play was delayed for 90 minutes because of fog, which meant that 29 of the 120 players failed to finish their rounds. Both Irishmen look set to miss the cut. The second round will resume at 7am tomorrow.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
