Harrington has title in his sights
Open champion Padraig Harrington’s bid for a third Alfred Dunhill Links championship title was gathering pace in the second round of the £2.5m (€3.6m) event at St Andrews.
The 36-year-old, who landed the crown both last year and in 2002, seized upon the inviting conditions and had powered up from 44th at the start of day’s action into fourth with a seven-under total, two behind frontrunners Hennie Otto and Paul Lawrie.
Harrington, who opened with a two-under 70 yesterday on his return to Carnoustie for the first time since he won the Claret Jug there in July, made an early move with a birdie at the third and despite giving that back with a bogey at the next, the Irishman responded with birdies at five, seven and nine to turn in three under.
Harrington bolstered his card with further birdies at the 10th and 11th as his clamber up the standings continued.
Lawrie, the former Open champion, was also making good progress in his bid to recapture the Dunhill title. The 38-year-old, who win the title in 2001, had lifted himself on to the nine-under mark through six holes holes at Kingsbarns to join Otto at the front.
Lawrie, who teed off in jubilant mood after watching his favourite football team, Aberdeen, progress into the UEFA Cup group stages last night, continued the momentum he had built up in yesterday’s opening round by covering his first five holes in three under par.
Lawrie had covered six holes, from the ninth to the 14th over the Old course yesterday in six under on his way to a rousing 66 and the Scot was quickly on the birdie trail again at Kingsbarns as he made successive gains at the third, fourth and fifth to ease to the front.
Joint pacesetter Otto, buoyed by a fine six-under 66 in his opening round at Carnoustie yesterday, brought that good form to the Old course and birdied his first three – he started at the 10th – to go to nine under at the halfway point of his second round.
Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano was lurking on an eight-under total having covered his first eight holes at Kingsbarns in three under while Englishman Justin Rose, second on the European Tour’s order of merit, was making a menacing advance up the standings having reached seven under through nine holes at St Andrews.
A birdie at the first got the 27-year-old off to a flying start and after a further gain at the third, Rose trundled in another birdie putt for a two at the 175-yard eighth to reach the turn in 33.
Swedish Ryder Cup player Niclas Fasth was also on the seven-under mark having played six holes at St Andrews in two under while first-round leader Steve Webster, who won the silver medal as the leading amateur in the 1995 Open over the Old course, remained on a seven-under tally after a level-par start to his round. Former Open champion Ernie Els joined the throng on seven under having played four holes at St Andrews in two under.
