THE PILE-UP, such as it was, didn’t hurt anyone; except, perhaps, their pride. One by one, and in successive groups, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Pádraig Harrington departed the BMW PGA Championship here at Wentworth after second rounds that offered more negatives than positives in an important period of the season that includes the upcoming US Open. The common theme was all had missed the cut, the one thing all professional golfers despise.
On a day of sunshine and swirling winds which would have tested the patience of a saint, James Morrison – ranked 236th in the world and a one-time cricket prospect for England – shot a best-of-the-day 64 to reach the midpoint of the European Tour’s flagship event with a 36-hole total of 132, 12 under, and a four stroke cushion over his nearest pursuers, Luke Donald and David Drysdale.
Peter Lawrie, immune to the sort of calamity endured by his golfing compatriots, steered a steady course in remaining in contention. The 38-year-old Dubliner shot a second round 71 to add to his opening 66 which left him in tied-fourth, alongside big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros, on 137.
Lawrie was one of six Irish players – along with Gareth Maybin, David Higgins, Damien McGrane, Paul McGinley and Shane Lowry – to survive the cut.
And, yet, this was a day of wonderment about how and why McIlroy, especially, should struggle so much. Just 19 days before he opens the defence of his US Open title, McIlroy – smiling, admittedly, with the boyish knowledge that these things happen – left here admitting he had “taken my eye off the ball a little bit” in terms of his preparations.
McIlroy had to birdie the 18th hole to avoid shooting an 80. He did. But his 79 for an nine-over-par 153 meant he missed back-to-back cuts (following on from the Players) for the first time since the Houston Open-US Masters in 2010. “I’m just going to have to go and really work hard to get back to the level I was at earlier in the year, leading into the Masters,” he conceded.
The prospect is McIlroy’s yo-yoing reign as world number one will have ended come tomorrow evening, with Donald requiring a top-eight finish to leapfrog him. The bigger concern for McIlroy, though, is to regain the sharpness that saw him contend week-in and week-out for the early part of the season.
How had he taken his eye off the ball? “I don’t know, maybe just not practising as hard as I might have been. I feel like I’ve put the work in, but maybe just more specific . . . I’m looking forward to getting back over to the States and playing there and getting ready and being prepared . I’ve got a big event coming up next week at the Memorial and I’ve got five days from now until then to put some hard practice in and get my game ready,” said McIlroy.
Harrington’s tournament, in effect, had ended almost as soon as it had started when he took a triple-bogey six on his second hole of the first round. Yesterday he added a 79 – for 155 – which left the Dubliner, who kept trying on every shot ’til the end, probably not unhappy to be leaving early.
“Overall, I can’t complain . . . I’m certainly not searching for anything over the next couple of weeks. I’ve talked with Pete and I’m happy with how things are. I’m not going to find it in the ball-striking, that’s for sure. I might find it better in a bit of decision-making and routines,” said Harrington, who has a week’s break before returning to the States for the FedEx St Jude Classic ahead of the US Open.
McDowell’s departure hurt more than others. He had worked his way back to the right side of affairs with a birdie on the ninth and an eagle on the 12th only to fall victim to a homeward run where the wind accentuated the difficulty. The 2010 US Open champion bogeyed the 13th and then had a hat-trick of bogeys from the 16th to finish with a 73 for 145, two shots above the cut.
An indication of how much the wind became a factor on the stretch home was all three of McDowell’s group – Lee Westwood and Thomas Bjorn included – were forced to hit provisional balls on the 17th. “I just didn’t finish off any of my two rounds. I have a couple of things to work on, but this is not panic button . Disappointing is what it is, but the game is not far away. I just need to piece it all together and get ready for Memphis and the US Open and on for a big summer,” said McDowell.
For Lawrie, however, this weekend is a more immediate and important challenge. The Dubliner didn’t incur a bogey in 32 holes, until the 15th hole of yesterday’s second round where he missed the green left with his approach and failed to get up and down. “C’est la vie, you’re always going to make bogeys around this golf course . . . we’ll see what tomorrow brings and the next day.”
A big weekend lies ahead.
