Links golf poses as a physical and mental challenge and Pádraig Harrington humorously shared with his caddie, Rónán Flood, that it felt like they had already played 72 holes halfway through the Senior Open. Yet, despite this, Harrington’s performance remained promising as he again contested for a title that has just been out of his grasp for the previous two years.
Harrington played an impressive second round, scoring 70, which put his halfway total at three-under-par 141. This landed him a tied-third position with Australian Richard Green. They were only three shots behind the tournament’s leader after 36 holes, KJ Choi from South Korea.
Darren Clarke also entered the weekend looking to add to his 2022 title despite a poor start. The athlete from Tyrone didn’t let his early missteps falter his game and completed his journey five-under, notably securing a birdie on the perilous 18th hole. His round of 69 allowed him to tally 143.
Out of the six Irish players, four managed to conquer the midway cut. Peter Lawrie fought back from a demanding front nine – where he took 44 swings in the wrong direction – to finish with three birdies, which left him with a score of 78 for 149. Northern Ireland’s Cameron Clark equaled this mark after a second-round of 75.
The wind and slow play, with rounds taking over five hours to finish, added to the difficulty of the competition. Harrington’s skill was particularly highlighted as his shots on the 17th and 18th holes, taken in opposing directions, demonstrated his prowess. His shots, taken with a 3-wood into the wind on the penultimate hole flew 250 yards, while his 3-wood off the 18th almost reached 400 yards.
Harrington’s outward expedition displayed two birdie shots and two bogeys, resulting in a turn at 36. However, he managed to land subsequent birdies in the 13th and 14th holes, eventually finishing with a 70, making the bogey-free home lap and successfully keeping himself in contention.
In the previous year, Harrington experienced a playoff loss to Alex Cejka, and Clarke outshot him by a stroke in 2022. He divulged his ongoing struggle, “We’re still in contention, where we aim to be. I expressed to Ronan how it feels like we’ve already played 72 holes, whilst the reality is we’ve only been through 36. The adverse weather and wind have made these holes tough to traverse. The upcoming 36 are sure to test our mettle too.”
Harrington went on to reflect on his performance in the past couple of years, admitting to a slow start due to fatigue following major tournaments. This time, however, he feels he’s off to a better start, yet emphasizes the necessity to show skill over the weekend, to shoot the necessary scores and to wrestle with his personal game-related tribulations.
Over on the European Challenge Tour, Conor Purcell, a Dubliner, carved out an admirable bogey-free 65, totalling a nine-under-par 131 at the mid-point, thus staking a three-stroke lead at the halfway stage. This occurred at the Black Desert NI Open, hosted by Galgorm Castle in Ballymena, Co Antrim.
Purcell, aged 27, earned five birdies on the fourth, eighth, 11th, 15th, and 16th holes. This propelled him into the lead and put him in a favourable position to secure his DP World Tour card for the following season. A win is projected to land him fourth in the order of merit.
He lauded his caddie and their collaborative effort amidst challenging windy circumstances and numerous crosswinds, enabling them to receive favourable figures whilst still managing to hit promising shots. Despite the challenges, Purcell remained hopeful for more of the same fortune over the weekend. As he reaches for his first Challenge Tour win, he also expressed that being at the top of the leaderboard brings him added motivation.
Purcell had a lead of three strokes ahead of the group of Wil Besseling from Netherlands, Jeppe Kristian Andersen from Denmark, and Joakim Lagergren from Sweden heading into the weekend. Gary Hurley from Waterford was still significantly engaged, following a second round 70 for 137 score.