Harrington slips back as rain stops play

ISKANDAR JOHOR OPEN:PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON slipped down the leaderboard at the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia after finishing the nine holes he played before play was suspended in the second round in level par.

That left the defending champion on seven under for the tournament, six shots adrift of runaway leader Daniel Chopra from Sweden.

Harrington started his day with a birdie at the first, only to hand it straight back straight away at the par-five second. A second dropped shot would come at the short fourth before he got back on an even keel for the day with a birdie at the par-five sixth.

A fine second round of 65 saw Chopra take the clubhouse lead on 13 under par as the second day was again disrupted by weather.

After Thursday’s play was shortened due to thunderstorms, Chopra returned to Horizon Hills and Country Club yesterday to complete the final four holes of his first round, carding a seven-under 64 that featured an eagle, seven birdies – including six on the front nine – and a double-bogey five on the 12th to trail overnight leader Joost Luiten by one stroke.

The 37-year-old showed no signs of fatigue, though, following it up with another impressive effort as seven birdies and one bogey saw him establish a four-shot cushion over the rest of the field.

A two-hour suspension during the afternoon means a clutch of players are still to finish their second rounds after play was eventually halted due to darkness.

The Johor Open has proved a happy hunting ground for Chopra after claiming his first professional win there in 1993 and he felt his short game was the main reason behind his commanding position.

“My wedges and putting are fantastic, I just need to sort my irons out little bit,” he told the European Tour website. “It is difficult to find your rhythm with your irons out here, because you’re always using your driver and wedges.

“You really only ever hit long irons shots on the par-threes. It is difficult to get your rhythm with the irons, because of such a long gap in between the long and the short holes.

“It was an early start for me this morning. I had a good feel to finish my first round with a few birdies and I made another good putt for birdie on my first hole this morning, which got my second round off to the perfect start.”

Luiten leads the chasing pack at nine under par through six holes as the Dutchman added a birdie at the sixth to a run of five consecutive pars.

Chopra’s compatriots Michael Jonzon and Christian Nilsson lie at eight-under along with Mohammed Sidikur of Bangladesh. Jonzon also carded a 65 while both Nilsson and Sidikur signed for 67s.

Peter Lawrie completed his second round, carding a level-par 71 to remain on two under for the tournament. Michael Hoey is on the same mark after getting through eight holes of his second round.

Both lie on the projected cut, with Damien McGrane (68) and Gareth Maybin (71) both facing a nervous wait to see if one under will make it today.

Niall Turner’s tournament is over after he finished on three over after a 75, while Paul McGinley withdrew with injury after carding an 81 in his opening round.