Cejka has change of luck at last

THE PLAYERS' CHAMPIONSHIP: ALEX CEJKA'S run of bad luck had to end some time. For someone who lives in Las Vegas, but mercifully for him doesn't gamble, the odds were that the tide would turn at some stage; and, yesterday, the Czech-born German who lives in Nevada desert, got the flipside of good fortune for a change as he took a grip on The Players championship at Sawgrass with a second round 67 for a midway total of 133, 11-under-par.

You could say he deserved some good fortune for a change. At the end of last season, Cejka, dogged in recent seasons by injuries, had to undergo surgery to have a titanium plate inserted in his neck which left him away from golf for over three months. And, just last week, he had to have an epidural injection to aid his recovery after apparently returning to tournament play too soon.

For now, all that discomfort would appear to be worth the effort. In following his opening round 66 with one that required just a shot more, Cejka - a 38-year-old with four European Tour wins to his CV but none on the US Tour - established a four-stroke lead over a chasing group that included US Masters champion Angel Cabrera, Kevin Na and Jason Dufner.

On another day of exceptional scoring, with Cabrera's 65 constituting the best of the day, there were those who nevertheless found the going tough. One of them was Phil Mickelson, who had to birdie his closing hole to reach the 36-hole stage on even par, the expected cut mark. And another was Pádraig Harrington, who claimed he was in "better shape" than Thursday's first round but still only managed to equal that score, shooting another 72 to reach the midway mark on level par. "I got my mind in the right place, so I'm kind of happy (with that)," said Harrington, who claimed that he would be less restricted over the weekend as he attempts to make some inroads up the leader board. "I'll go out and try to play well. It's easier to play on a Saturday and Sunday than on a Friday when you're thinking about the cut. So, hopefully, I might be a bit freer on the golf course."

Harrington's presence in the field for the weekend, and likewise that of Mickelson, depended on the cut mark remaining at even par. They were prepared for a long wait. Mickelson played a mostly uninspired round, trading birdies with bogeys and leaving too many shots on the greens. On the par three eighth - Mickelson's penultimate hole - he missed a four-footer for par, and he needed a two-putt birdie on the par-five ninth just to give himself a chance to play on the weekend.

"I struggled on the greens," said Mickelson, who has needed 61 putts over the two days. "I hit the ball really well. I hit a lot of fairways, I hit a lot of greens, and didn't make squat."

There were no such concerns for Cejka, whose back problems date back to the 2006 season when he was badly injured in a jet ski accident that threatened his professional career and which forced him to regain his playing privileges with visits to the qualifying schools in both Europe and the United States.

While Harrington waited, Graeme McDowell - even for his second round through 13 holes, to remain at one-under - was fighting the good fight. But Rory McIlroy, two over for the second day through six holes to fall to four over, was in serious danger of missing the cut.