Padraig
Harrington was frustrated not to be in a commanding position to win a second
Irish Open title as tournament host Rory McIlroy missed the cut for the third
year in succession.
Three-time major
champion Harrington predicted on Wednesday that an Irish player would lift the
trophy on Sunday, with world No 1 McIlroy seemingly the most likely contender.
However, while McIlroy
could only add a second round of 71 to his opening 80 at a windswept Royal
County Down, a 73 on Friday left Harrington just one shot off the lead shared
by English pair Tyrrell Hatton and Chris Wood, Scotland's Richie Ramsay,
Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen and Austria's Bernd Wiesberger.
Irishman Rory McIlroy cuts a frustrated figure as he missed the cut during the Irish Open on Friday
McIlroy's compatriot Padraig Harrington had hoped an Irish player would lift the trophy on Sunday
Harrington is now just a single shot off the leading pack following a round of 73 on Friday
McIlroy followed his
victory in the WGC-Cadillac Match Play with a seven-shot victory in the Wells
Fargo Championship, but missed the cut in the defence of his BMW PGA
Championship title at Wentworth and conceded the combination of wind, rain and
links golf was not to his liking.
'The conditions at Quail
Hollow, that's my game, that's what I do best,' McIlroy said. 'Give me this
golf course in those conditions and it would be a much different story.'
The 26-year-old was in
sight of making the cut when he followed his first birdie of the week on the
seventh with another on the 12th, only to thin a pitch on the 15th and
three-putt from off the green for a double bogey.
'I was trying as hard as
I could but just couldn't get a good run of holes going,' added McIlroy, who
had pledged to donate his prize money this week to his own foundation.
'Unfortunately I just left myself too much to do.
'The support out there
was phenomenal and it's the third year in a row they are not going to see me
playing on the weekend. I'm more disappointed for them. I'm honestly looking
forward to two weeks off before the US Open.'
Minutes later McIlroy
was in a car and heading home to Holywood, but although his duties as
tournament host prevented an onward journey to Florida, he refused to blame
them for his performance.
'It's not as difficult
as you might think. I'm definitely not using that as an excuse,' he added. 'If
anything it has fallen at a bad time as my fifth tournament in a row. In an
ideal world I would have come in here with a bit different preparation.'
Harrington briefly
enjoyed a five-shot lead when, having started on the 10th, he followed six
straight pars with birdies on the 16th and 17th and picked up another shot on
the first.
However, he then played
the remaining eight holes in five over par.
'I'm pleased to be in
contention but I would have preferred to be seven or eight under par and in a
good position to move away from the field,' said the 43-year-old, whose victory
in the Honda Classic in March was his first on a major tour since the 2008 US
PGA.
McIlroy looks dejected after missing his putt on the ninth hole on the first day of the Irish Open
Hundreds of fans flock to fifth green to witness the action in the picturesque Northern Irish setting
'I'm now in a position
where I need to play well over the weekend and not have anything go against me.
There will be a lot of people who just make the cut who will think they can win
now that I've come back to the pack. It will be a tougher weekend and I won't
have the luxury of any more bad runs.'
Hatton's 66 was the best
round of the week and equalled the lowest score ever recorded at Royal County
Down, the 23-year-old carding an eagle, six birdies and three bogeys.
'I got off to a great
start and that was the key for me,' said Hatton, who started
eagle-birdie-birdie and also chipped in for birdie on the 13th. 'Thankfully I
kept it going and had a good finish.
'I had a sixth in Abu
Dhabi and was eighth in China so it hasn't been a bad season, but I haven't
been really close to the leaders so I am looking forward to the weekend.'
Englishmen Tyrrell Hatton (pictured) and Chris Wood are among the leaders after the second round
Shane Lowry's round of 74 was almost as impressive considering the 2009
champion broke his putter on the third hole of the day and putted with a wedge
for the last 15, which he covered in two over par to be four over for the
tournament.
'I'm not proud of myself
and I apologised to the lads (playing partners Francesco Molinari and Ernie
Els) at the end,' Lowry said. 'It's not something you want the kids watching to
see.
'I'm trying so hard and
I got frustrated. The 12th is an easy par five; I missed from two feet for par
and stupidly hit my putter grip off a metal fence post. To be honest Dermot
(Byrne, his caddie) had to talk me into staying out there after nine holes.
'I don't deserve to make
the cut doing something like that but I'm a passionate player and wear my heart
on my sleeve. It's not the first club I've broken and it won't be the last.'
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