DIGEST:AUSTRIAN OPEN: Twice Major winner John Daly, known as 'Wild Thing' for his eccentric behaviour on and off the golf course, walked off during his second round at the Austrian Open at Atzenbrugg yesterday after a rules infringement.
The American called it a day at the par-three 15th when, having completed the hole despite finding the water from the tee and throwing a club into the pond, he was summoned by an official who was concerned he had dropped the ball in the wrong place.
“If you play from a wrong place, and it’s a serious breach then there could be a disqualification. But we always try to avoid this,” referee Andy McFee told Sky Sports.
“When I knew it was not a serious breach I said ‘you can carry on John’. But John did not want to do that.
“He said ‘what’s the penalty?’. I told him it was a two-shot penalty, at which point he said ‘I’m done’.” Daly carded a two-over-par 74 on day one and with the rules infringement would have been six-over for the tournament, three shots over the halfway cut.
Britain’s Robert Coles posted a seven-under 65 to tie for the lead on seven-under (137) with Joost Luiten of the Netherlands, Denmark’s Thomas Norret and Indian Gaganjeet Bhullar.
Daly’s playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez, the highest-ranked man in the field, improved on his opening round 73 to shoot a 69 and lie five shots back, while three-times Major winner Pádraig Harrington returned a 70 to extend his stay.
Ireland’s Paul Cutler, playing in his first event as a professional, missed the cut after shooting a second round of 74.
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP: Keegan Bradley held a one-shot lead over five players heading into the closing holes of the second round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta yesterday.
Keegan was level par for his round at six under with Bubba Watson, KJ Choi, Jason Dufner, Adam Scott and Hunter Mahan all in close pursuit.
World number one Luke Donald was also in contention at the closing event of the FedEx Cup series, lying at four under, just two off the pace.
Webb Simpson, leader of the FedEx Cup standings, had a miserable four bogeys and two birdies while Watson had charged up the leaderboard with six birdies and a bogey after 16 holes.
SENIOR TOUR:Australian Mike Harwood recovered from a mid-round stumble to take a two- stroke lead into the final round of the Cannes Mougins Masters after a battling 68 in France.
Harwood made a superb start to his second round with four consecutive birdies from the third hole but, after establishing a two-stroke cushion at the top of the leaderboard, he then relinquished it when he dropped shots on the 10th and 12th holes.
However, further birdies on the 14th and 16th holes saw him re-establish the outright lead and move to ten under par 134 for the tournament, with Argentine Horacio Carbonetti and defending champion Marc Farry his nearest rivals on eight under par.
Ireland’s Des Smyth shot a second round 70 to trail by five strokes.
