Stricker rolls back the years to share clubhouse lead in Arizona

A tale of two captains: one who defied old age to move into the clubhouse lead at the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona, the other – feeling the effects of jet-lag – who was forced to tip his cap and prepare for another day.

Steve Stricker, the 53-year-old US Ryder Cup captain, shot a second round 65 for a midway total of 11-under-par 131 that enabled him to share the clubhouse lead with former US PGA champion Keegan Bradley.

For Europe’s 49-year-old captain Pádraig Harrington, however, who was playing in the same group as Stricker, it proved to be an underwhelming second round: despite a hat-trick of birdies from the second hole to the fourth, the Dubliner came undone with a run of four bogeys in five holes around the turn as he shot a 73 for a two-over-par 36-holes total of 144 that saw him miss the cut.

Harrington had arrived in Arizona direct from competing in Dubai, and has two more events scheduled stateside, in next week’s Pebble Beach pro-am and the following week’s Genesis Invitational.

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Rory McIlroy, who opened with a first round 70, was part of the second wave of players in Phoenix and was struggling to get momentum in his round after a wild drive to a waste area on the second led to an early bogey, although he managed to bounce back with a birdie on the third where he reached the green on the Par 5 in two and two-putted. Another birdie on the sixth moved him to two-under for the tournament.

Stricker, without a win on the main tour since his Tournament of Champions win in 2012 but with five wins on the seniors circuit in the past three seasons, remarked: “I haven’t been in this position for quite some time out here, and obviously on the Champions Tour a few tournaments here and there where I’ve won or been in contention, but this is why we’re here, to play at this stage, at this level.”

For his part, Bradley attributed his improved form to an adjustment with the putter.

“I tried to replicate my belly putter set-up, and (set) my eyes way more outside the ball, trying to keep my hands inside the ball and it is really working so far,” said Bradley, who had missed the cut in each of his opening two events of the year, at the Sony Open and the American Express.

Weather delay

In the Saudi International on the European Tour, where a weather delay of two hours meant a segment of the field failed to complete their second rounds, Cormac Sharvin – playing on a sponsor’s invitation – birdied three of his final four holes for a 69 for a one-under-par midway total of 139 that ensured he made the cut as New Zealander Ryan Fox claimed the clubhouse lead on 10-under 130 after back-to-back 65s.

Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher, through 12 holes of his second round, was also on 10-under.

Shane Lowry, with his putter finally finding the zone, had a run of four successive birdies – from the fourth to the seventh – as he moved his way up the field, following up his opening round 70 to reach three-under-par for the tournament through 17 holes of his incomplete round as the 2019 British Open champion completes the Middle East Swing before heading back stateside.

Defending champion Graeme McDowell made a superb up-and-down for par on the ninth, his finishing hole, as he shot a second round 70 for 140 that left him on the bubble but waiting for those caught out by the weather to complete their rounds to know if he moves on into the weekend.

Paul Dunne, playing on a sponsor’s exemption, was cast adrift at six-over through 10 holes of his second round.

New Zealander Fox, a runner-up in the 2018 DDF Irish Open and whose only European Tour win came in the Perth Super 6s in 2019, had originally considered bypassing the tournament in Saudi Arabia due to travel restrictions but the Jeddah-to-Dubai flight on Sunday evening was pushed back for the onward connection to Auckland which would allow him to arrive in time to fulfil his quarantine period.

“I can just control what I can control. If I go out and play well, try to set the target and make them chase me,” said Fox.