2/28/2015

Harrington Takes Honda Lead

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Padraig Harrington’s gruelling schedule at the start of the season looks to be bearing fruit after the three-time Major winner rose to the top of the leaderboard after the weather-delayed second round of the Honda Classic in Florida.

The 43-year-old Dubliner was four under and four shots off the lead of Brendan Steeleovernight after play was suspended due to darkness on Friday evening.

Harrington made a storming start on the resumption play, with back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th, the last two holes of the famous Bear Trap on the PGA National Course.

Another birdie came at the first before the first dropped shot of his second round came at the par-five sixth before a scintillating hat-trick of birdies from the fourth to move to nine under.

At that stage, Harrington was three shots clear of clubhouse leader Patrick Reed, but he would close with back-to-back bogeys and sign for a four-under 66 to leave him on seven under.

The second round was completed on Saturday after rain delays on Friday and the players will be straight back in action in the third round later on Saturday.

Ian Poulter’s impressive 64 moved him to within two strokes of Harrington and level with American Steele on five under.

Former Honda Classic winner Luke Donald, shot a 67 to move three strokes off the lead.

Graeme McDowell joined fellow Ulsterman Rory McIlroy in missing the cut after completing a one-over 71 in his second round to miss the cut by one shot on five over.



McIlroy to Miss Honda Cut

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Rory McIlroy is set to miss the cut at the Honda Classic after posting a four-over 74 in a rain-affected second round.

In a round twice interrupted by bad weather, McIlroy carded five bogeys and just one birdie to move to seven-over, four shots outside of the projected cut. Beginning the day three-over, the Northern Irishman opened with a bogey at the 10th and dropped another shot at the par-five 18th after finding the water with his second shot.

McIlroy missed birdie putts at two and three, before making his only gain of the round by firing his tee-shot at the par-three fifth to within five feet of the hole.

The 2012 winner on the Champion Course then found the bunker at successive holes to card back-to-back bogeys, and added another at the last after three-putting from 50-feet.

The 25-year-old had arrived at PGA National full of confidence after victory at last month's Dubai Desert Classic extended his run to seven top-two European Tour finishes in a row, and was expecting another good weekend in Florida despite an opening round 73. 

"I don't like missing cuts," the world No 1 said. "You want to be playing on the weekend, and I'm not going to be playing which is not nice. 

"I guess after coming off a three-week break, I felt, I wouldn't say rusty, but just not quite on top of my game yesterday. Today I felt like I was trying to get something going and couldn't.

"Coming off three weeks off and playing in conditions like these, it sort of shows you where your game's at. I've just got to regroup and put some work in and get ready for Miami next week."

Failing to qualify for the weekend ends a run of 22 consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour for McIlroy, who hadn't missed a cut since last year's Irish Open and has reached the third round of every tournament he's featured at in America since the 2012 US Open. 

McIlroy will continue his preparations for April's Masters at next week's World Golf Championships event at Doral, before making his first-ever start in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill a fortnight later.