Burns, McGinley slip on the home stretch

IRELAND'S nine qualifiers had cause for much cheer at the Emirates club here yesterday, taking a total of £70,021 from the prize fund. And it could have been considerably more, as Raymond Burns and Paul McGinley challenged strongly for the title before being forced to settle for a share of sixth place.

With a reward of £19,652, on this occasion, Burns has now collected £54,892 from three successive top-10 finishes here. But he was bitterly disappointed with a costly three-putt on the 18th.

"I have to become a better putter," he said ruefully. The Ulsterman was reflecting on 33 putts, including two three-putts, in a round of70 with the broomhandle he has been using for over a year. "I'm beginning to think the long putter is only a quick fix," he added.

Having made no headway after eight holes, Burns proceeded to card a brilliant birdie at the treacherous ninth, where a seven-iron second shot of 151 yards finished 15 feet from the hole. The putt went down, leaving him on 11-under-par and four strokes behind the joint leaders, Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer.

But he then squandered the chance of further progress by missing a six-foot birdie effort at the long 10th. So, it took a birdie at the long 13th, where he chipped almost dead from left of the green, to bring him to 12-under and as dose as he would get to the leaders.

The 18th, which he eagled last year, was now playing into the wind, which meant that he needed a three-wood second shot to cover the remaining 225 yards to the green. In his anxiety to make eagle again, however, he struck a 25-foot putt too firmly and it failed to take the break before slipping two-and-a-half feet past. He then missed the return.

McGinley felt the course had cheated him over the last three holes. Level with Burns at the turn, after birdies at the long third (chip to four feet) and the fifth (five-foot putt), he then moved past his colleague with further birdies at the 12th and 13th.

The first of these was a holed chip of 10 yards and, at the long 13th, he recovered from a bunker to within inches of the target. At 13-under, he was then one stroke behind joint leaders Woosnam, Langer and Greg Norman.

"I was watching the scoreboards all the way and I had set myself the target of two more birdies," he said. "But my luck ran out on the last three holes, which possibly cost me the title."

The Dubliner was referring to a 12-foot birdie putt which lipped out at the 16th, a good drive which finished in a deep divot from which he bogeyed the next, and a pushed drive at the 18th, which left the green out of range in two.

Des Smyth had mixed feelings at the end of a productive tournament which earned him £7,140 for a share of 25th place. After making the cut on the limit, he rode his luck with a superb third round of 65, but a sloppy finish yesterday, pushed him down the order.

"I had a few lapses of concentration," he said. "But the 65 was good," he added. "It's nice to know I can still do those scores."

Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke were among those who earned £6,206 for a share of 28th place. The only bright note in a very costly weekend for Harrington was that he earned sufficient points to move up from 12th to 11th in the Ryder Cup standings.

Philip Walton's driving lacked its usual authority, but he was generally pleased with a performance which saw him among those, including Christy O'Connor Jnr, in a share of 46th place for £3,500.