Simon Thornton hopes his best round is still ahead of him as he looks to clinch his fourth Brown & Brown Irish PGA Championship after he ground out a 69 to lead by one shot on five-under at Monkstown Golf Club.
Thornton endured a frustrating day on the greens, a problem he looked to remedy after his round, but he still managed to roll in two birdies on 7 and 15 and he kept the mistakes to a minimum with his only blemish coming on the par-3 6th.
The big names have circled around Thornton and the three-time winner knows he will have to be at his best to hold off former champions Tim Rice and Niall Kearney, former DP World Tour pro Cormac Sharvin, Richard O’Donovan, and the surprise package Sean O’Donoghue.
“I’m walking off a little bit disappointed to be honest,” lamented Thornton who had to watch Kearney and Sharvin make a bunch of birdies. “I hit it quite nicely again but had too many 20-footers in the wrong place to be honest. I’d rather have them further away and get one a little closer. I didn’t have my putting boots on at all.
“I hit it lovely coming in, few chances but I wasn’t expecting to make a few of the 20-30 footers but we go again tomorrow.”
Thornton, a former European Tour winner, knows that if he can get the putter rolling properly on Thursday then he will be very tough to beat as he targets something in the mid-60s to get over the line.
“I didn’t get off to a good start today. I didn’t hit the putts the way I wanted to so I can certainly shoot four or five under and if I can do that then someone will have to play really well to beat me. All you want to do is be there coming down the back nine so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
“With a bit of luck my best round is still to come but on this golf course it can go either way.”
The low round of the week came late in the day from Mount Wolseley pro O’Donoghue who carded a blistering round of 65 to stand shoulder to shoulder with the former PGA champions and tour winners in a share of second on four-under alongside Rice and O’Donovan.
O’Donoghue roared to the turn in 30 and recovered from dropped shots on 11 and 14 with birdies on 15 and 18 to give himself a chance of completing an upset and claiming a career defining victory.
“I would love to win, it would be great. I hold this event in high regard. I’m in with a shot and playing nicely.”
Limerick’s Rice hasn’t lifted this famous trophy since winning in Moyvalley in 2017 but he roared into the mix with a round of 66.
“Eight was in my head with Simon already at four so if I can get towards eight I will have a chance tomorrow. That was in my head,” said Rice.
“If you play well the greens are very good so if you hit good putts they probably will go in so that gives you a chance. It’s nice to be in the mix of a tournament with such history.”
There were three rounds of 66 in round two but the pick of them came from former Sunshine Tour pro O’Donovan who carded the first bogey-free round of the week to give himself a realistic chance of winning his maiden championship and he will be in the final group.
“I’d love to win this tournament. I’m just happy to put myself into position tomorrow that’s what the first few days were about, just hang in there and give yourself an opportunity going into tomorrow so I am looking forward to it,” said O’Donovan.
Former Walker Cupper Sharvin (67) admits he hasn’t had his best game this week but a magical run of four birdies in five holes on the front nine and a dramatic chip in par on the last kept his hopes of a maiden title very much alive on three-under and two back alongside defending champion Kearney who finished with three birdies in six holes for a round of 66.
Colm Moriarty was solid again on day two with a round of 69 to lie four shots adrift on one-under while Richard Kilpatrick and Paul Eivers will need to roll the dice with birdies if they are to make up ground from level-par.
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