McGrane in Aloha Mix at Halfway

Damien McGrane’s second round of 67 took the Meath man to seven under par and a share of second place at the Open de Andalucia at Aloha Golf Club, one behind the local leader Eduardo de la Riva.

McGrane, without a win on the European Tour since the China Open in 2008, shares second place with tournament host Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Matteo Manassero and Pablo Larrazabal are also just one off the lead.

Michael Hoey is just a shot further back on six under with Gareth Maybin on four under. 

Eduardo de la Riva birdied the difficult final hole at Aloha Golf Club to claim a one shot lead at the halfway stage of the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol.

But the 29 year old – third in October’s Bankia Madrid Masters – has a host of big names queuing up behind him to challenge over the weekend.

Miguel Angel Jiménez has hopes of becoming The European Tour's oldest-ever winner, while the circuit's youngest-ever winner – Matteo Manassero – is only one behind despite a second round 73.

The 18 year old Italian held a three stroke lead after his course record-equalling opening round of 64.

Tournament promoter Jiménez is now in joint second place after a 68, and having turned 48 in January, the Ryder Cup star would be 39 days older than record holder Des Smyth if he grabs his 19th European Tour title on Sunday.

De la Riva, ranked 610th in The Official World Golf Ranking and one of eight players given places in the event off the Spanish Order of Merit, stands eight under par after rounds of 67 and 69.

He has been to The European Tour Qualifying School nine times and the only time he made it through was a decade ago, but last his third-place finish in the Spanish capital last year was his best finish.

“I had a poor start,” said de la Riva. “I missed a three footer on the first and bogeyed the second from 20 feet. 

“I was beginning to lose confidence, but then I hit it close and made birdie on the third - that settled me.

“I am very pleased with my birdie on 18 which is a challenging hole. I took a five wood and four iron over the water.

“I played well off the tee but the key today were my shots to the green from 100 to 150 yards.” 

Jiménez, at 51st the highest-ranked player in the field, is one behind along with Manassero, England’s Tommy Fleetwood, Irishman Damien McGrane, and another of the home contingent, Pablo Larrazabal.

Fleetwood, the 21 year old who won last year's Challenge Tour, completed his 69 with a birdie.

Among those on six under are Ryder Cup stars Eduardo Molinari and Oliver Wilson, nine times a runner-up without ever winning.

One of those near-misses came when he lost a play-off to Jiménez in the 2008 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. He went on to earn a Ryder Cup debut later the same season, but lost his card last year after finishing 130th on The Race to Dubai.

Wilson, playing on an invitation from Jiménez, suffered from stomach ulcers and parasites from drinking water in Bahrain early in 2011, but is back to fitness now after finally having his system flushed out.

"It would be nice not to have to rely on invites, but that's the position I'm in," he said.

"Miguel's been fantastic. It means a lot, especially when it's another player."

Round of the day was a 65 from Italian Molinari. He played in the last Ryder Cup along with brother Francesco, but has been battling a wrist injury and is down to 88th in the Official World Golf Ranking after reaching 14th less than 18 months ago.

Molinari improved from one over to six under and another on the same mark is Abu Dhabi winner Robert Rock, who can clinch a Masters Tournament debut with another victory.

Canadian Mike Weir, champion at Augusta National in 2003 but now 1,206th in the OWGR following elbow surgery, is three under.

Two For White House Dinner

Rory McIlroy, along with manager Conor Ridge of Horizon Sports, were amongst the 300 guests to dine with US President Barack Obama at the White House on Wednesday.

Washington was the scene of McIlroy's incredible eight-shot US Open win last year but this time he was back after an invite from the US President to attend a state dinner in honour of British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The American President has admitted to being "a huge golf fan" and, like the rest of the golf world, watched in awe as the Northern Irishman romped to his overwhelming US Open victory last summer just a few miles away at Congressional Country Club.

McIlroy is currently on a three-week break ahead of re-launching his bid for a Masters Green Jacket following his final-round implosion at Augusta last April.

Still just 22, McIlroy displaced Luke Donald as world number one earlier this month when he won the Honda Classic at PGA National in Florida and then reinforced his position by finishing third last week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship behind Justin Rose.

Golf seemed a fair distance away on Wednesday night, though, as McIlroy, suitably clad in a dark suit and tie, joined with the other rich and famous on the South Lawn.

Unbelievable experience

McIlroy tweeted on Thursday morning: 'Unbelievable experience at the White House last night! Big thanks to @BarackObama for the invite! We'll get that golf swing sorted soon!'

Sir Richard Branson, George Clooney and Hilary Clinton were at the gathering - the largest yet for an Obama state dinner - while the English band, Mumford and Sons, provided the entertainment.

Death of PGA Pro Connor Mallon

There has been widespread sadness in Inishowen this morning following the death of former Ballyliffin Golf Club professional, Connor Mallon.

The father of four from Fahan was found dead in his hotel room at the Nesbitt Arms, Ardara on Thursday.

The traditional St Patrick’s Day “drive in” at the famous Inishowen golf club has been cancelled tomorrow as a mark of respect for their former member.

Since the news emerged yesterday evening tributes have been pouring in from all over Inishowen and the wider golf community. 

#ConnorMallonRIP

Harrington Fires Innisbrook Record 61

On Thursday, Harrington set a course record with a 10-under 61 at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook, where he made 10 birdies, including three in a row to finish his round and take the lead. It was also the lowest score Harrington has ever shot as a professional.

Apparently Harrington’s hole-in-one during the pro-am earlier this week was a sign of things to come.

“It’s been a strange last year, but I’m very comfortable where my game is at,” said Harrington, who is looking for his first win on the PGA TOUR since he won the British Open and PGA Championship in 2008.

After those victories is when Harrington underwent massive swing changes. He struggled and got fed up with his play, eventually firing his coach before turning to Pete Cowen last year and more recently adding Dave Alred to help with the mental side of his game.

As frustrated as Harrington got it times the last few years, though, his patience seems to be paying off.

“I’ve been for a long time now, I play better on the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday than I do on the Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday,” Harrington said. “I’m trying to stay patient. I know my game is good. One of the hardest things is to wait with confidence.”

Harrington has plenty of reason to feel confident these days.

Earlier this year he tied for seventh at Pebble Beach. In Thursday’s opening round outside Tampa, Harrington hit 14 greens and had 14 one-putts, including one from 75 feet for birdie on the par-3 17th hole.

At 7 under through his first 11 holes, Harrington even started thinking about shooting 59. But he missed a 6-footer for birdie on the par-5 12th.

“I’d love to tell you I was so good that bad thoughts didn’t get into my head, but unfortunately they do,” Harrington said. “It cost me there. It certainly went out of my head after that.”

It didn’t slow him down any.

Harrington birdied the final three holes to close in 30.

“I felt I’ve played better than I’ve performed for the last 18 months,” Harrington said. “I have a good understanding of my game at the moment. So I’ve been quite comfortable going into nearly every tournament this year.”

Transitions Championship Leaderboard 

Irish Open on McIlroy Radar

Northern Ireland’s first World Number One, Rory McIlroy, now aims to fulfil another boyhood dream by winning the Irish Open, which will be held in front of his home fans at Royal Portrush from June 28 to July 1.

The 22 year old reigning US Open Champion from Holywood can now expect a hero’s reception when he tees off at Royal Portrush in June, with his sights firmly trained on succeeding England’s Simon Dyson as champion. 

McIlroy, who is enjoying the view from the top of the world, said: “It would be incredible to win. I haven’t played competitively at Royal Portrush since 2005, so to go back there and have the chance to win my National Open is something that is very, very important to me. Hopefully I can give it a real good go this year.

“For the Irish Open to come to Portrush is a huge thing for any golfer from Northern Ireland. So for myself and the likes of Graeme [McDowell], Darren [Clarke] and Michael Hoey to play the Irish Open in Northern Ireland is a dream come true for us.”

The chance to see the reigning US Open Champion and his three fellow Irish Major Champions – Clarke, Padraig Harrington and McDowell – has generated huge interest in his homeland, and McIlroy is expecting a bumper turnout in June. 

He said: “It’s incredible to see the response of the fans so early on, and it just goes to show how popular golf in Northern Ireland has become. Previous Irish Opens have tended to be a bit earlier in the season so the weather might not have been so good, but hopefully this year at Portrush we can get some good weather and everyone can make the most of it. I’m expecting huge crowds and a great atmosphere there, and hopefully we can have a memorable week.

“This is going to be one of the biggest events Northern Ireland has ever held, especially as three recent Major Champions will be coming home to play in front of their home fans. Everyone I’ve spoken to is so excited about the Irish Open coming to Portrush, and hopefully it’ll be a great boost for the club as well. Maybe one day they’ll be able to host an Open Championship there.”

For now, McIlroy believes Royal Portrush is the perfect venue to host the Irish Open, and he is fully expecting the 6,843 yards, par 72 course – where he once shot 61 as an amateur - to provide a fearsome but fair test when the 57th edition of the historic event unfolds.

He said: “I think the word most people use to describe Portrush is probably ‘fair’. It’s such a tough course, but it’s also very fair. It’s very well designed, and there’s some beautiful scenery, especially by the fifth green and sixth tee. Anyone who plays the course falls in love with it, and it’ll be great to get back there in June.

“You need to drive the ball well there. You definitely can’t hit it offline, because there’s some long rough, brambles and fern bushes. So you’ve really got to keep your ball in play. There are a few holes, especially the ninth and tenth, which you really need to try to take advantage of. So if you can do that and keep your ball in play, then you’ve got a good chance. I can’t wait to tee it up.”