In an exercise of mind over matter, the recently crowned two-time US Senior Open champion managed to chisel out a score without having his best stuff and lead by a shot from Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and defending champion KJ Choi on eight-under at halfway.
It was an impressive display of scoring by the Dubliner (53), who admitted he had the rub of the green on the famous Old Course.
“I rode my luck a lot today,” Harrington said after a round that included brilliant recoveries from the heather at the 16th and the trees at the 17th. “Got my head in the game. Did a lot of good stuff mentally. Short game was sharp.”
Despite a three-putt par at the long 14th, he used his length to two-putt for birdies at the first and the driveable ninth and 11th before following a birdie two at the long 15th with another from eight feet the last.
More impressively, he survived what he described as three “crazy” distractions.
“As I was teeing off on seven, I was nearly hit by an acorn coming out of the tree,” Harrington said. “On that par-five [14th], a bug landed right down by my shoe as I took my backstroke, and I got completely distracted.
“Then on 17, it was actually a leaf. I didn’t know what it was. Came in in front of my ball and nearly topped it. I had a weird day in many ways. They didn’t cost me.”
Despite scoring well, Harrington wants to play better over the weekend and add the Senior Open to his two wins in The Open Championship, having finished second twice and fifth last year.
“Look, I wouldn’t want to play like that,” he said on a day when Darren Clarke shot 69 to share 36th on one under but Paul McGinley missed the one-over cut by a shot after a 70. “Well, I would like to score like that the next two days, but I wouldn’t think I’m going to get away with it. Hopefully, it will improve a little bit over the next few days.”
In the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links, Leona Maguire has her work cut out to catch rookie Lottie Woad.
The English starlet shot a bogey-free, seven-under 65 to lead on her professional debut by two strokes from Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen and world No 1 Nelly Korda, who both shot 66, on 12-under par. After winning the KPMG Women’s Irish Open as an amateur – confirmed for the Palmer South Course at The K Club next August – by six shots, Woad finished third in the Amundi Evian Championship and turned professional.
She had eight single putts yesterday compared to just three for Maguire, who had 33 putts in a one-under 71 that left her tied for eighth, six shots off the pace.
Meanwhile, Fota Island’s David Howard edged closer to winning his first Irish cap when he battled his way into the last 16 of the Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Lahinch. Ranked second in the Order of Merit with the top two automatically selected tomorrow night for next month’s matches at Woodhall Spa, he beat Palmerstown House’s Ross McCormack 2&1 before seeing off Charleville’s Jordan Boles 6&5 to set up a last-16 clash with Irish Close champion Thomas Abom.
Abom’s brother Liam beat Josh Hill one up and now faces Mark Cadden, but leading qualifier Dylan Keating fell in round one to Seán Desmond, Caolan Rafferty’s rival on Saturday, as Colm Campbell lost on the 19th to Paul O’Hanlon.
Women’s Scottish Open, 1pm Senior Open Championship, 1.30pm 3M Open, 7pm (All live Saturday on Sky Sports)
