Liam Burns Leads at Concra Wood

Liam Burns smashed his way to the top of the leaderboard after the second round of the Kingspan Concra Wood Open on Thursday.

Burns (Sundridge Park), who came second to Dan Seymour in a play-off in the season opener at Wensum Valley in April, signed for an eight-under-par 64 in his second round to move to six under for the tournament, two shots ahead of his closest contenders.

The Englishman is currently 12th on the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit but could jump to the top of the pile should he claim victory at Concra Wood on Friday.

Wallace Booth (Comrie Golf Club) and Billy Hemstock (Teignmouth) both carded second round 67s, five shots under par, to move to four under overall and are tied for second behind Burns.

The course record at Concra Wood is a four-under-par 68, set by European Tour player Simon Thornton. However, because the preferred lies rule is in effect, none of the scores made on Thursday can be officially recognised as a course record.

Having carded a two-over-par 74 on Wednesday, Burns began Friday’s second round on the first tee and got off to a confident start with a birdie four. However, back-to-back bogeys at the par-four second and third pushed his score in the wrong direction.

With just six events to follow the Kingspan Concra Wood Open before the Tour Championship in the autumn, chances to earn a card on next season’s Challenge Tour by concluding the summer in the all-important Order of Merit top five are beginning to thin out.

Knowing that another above-par round could see him miss the cut, Burns forced a change in his fortunes with a four at the par-five fourth and kept going to record five consecutive birdies through to the eighth.

A bogey at the 10th proved only to be a brief setback and Burns continued to dominate the course with five back-nine birdies to see him return home to sign for 64.

Booth started his round at the 10th and a solitary birdie at 15 saw him turn home at level par for the tournament following a 73 on Wednesday. Four birdies on his back nine; at one, three, four and seven, moved him up the leaderboard and the Scotsman signed for 67 at the end of his second round.

Like Booth, Hemstock had also finished his first round one above par and made five under on Thursday to move to four under overall. Starting at the first tee the Englishman was three under the card when he turned home but he dropped a shot with a bogey at 10. He soon made amends though, with birdies and 12, 14 and 18.

Four players are three shots behind Burns on three under par while nine golfers are a further shot off the lead.

A cut of the top 50 and ties has now been made with all those who have total scores of three over par or better progressing to the final round, which gets underway at 7:30am with the leading group due off the tee at 11:15am.


Leaderboard

Lowry and Lawrie Lead Irish Efforts

Shane Lowry finished the first round of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open dropping three strokes and signing four a round of 66, having completed the back nine in 30, for a share of fifth place with Peter Lawrie.

But the day belonged to Francesco Molinari - who had a thought for his brother Edoardo - even after a ten birdie course record 62 at Castle Stuart Golf Links against a field that included World Number One Luke Donald and ten Major Champions.

Edoardo won the title at Loch Lomond two years ago, three months before he and Francesco became partners in The Ryder Cup. But the older of the pair had left wrist surgery two weeks ago and, having not played for a month, is likely to spend the entire summer rehabilitating.

"It would be nice to do well this week for him as well - to cheer him up a little bit," said Francesco, who looks in the form of his life after finishing second in the Alstom Open de France on Sunday thanks to a closing 64.

If he wins this weekend it would be only the second time in European Tour history that brothers have won the same event. Spaniards German and Antonio Garrido were Madrid Open champions in 1973 and 1977, respectively.

At ten under after 15 holes, Molinari - on course to earn a second cap against the Americans in September - admits he did work out that three more birdies would give him the circuit's first-ever 59.

It did not happen - he parred them all - but he can still claim to have broken 60 for 18 holes. In Paris he played his last nine in 29 and here he turned in 30.

The 62 matched the lowest round of his European Tour career and was a far cry from his first experience of links golf.

That came in an amateur event at St Andrews over a decade ago. Anybody seeing him give a fist-pump of celebration when he birdied the last would have thought he had had a good day - but it was to break 90.

Not that he was the only one to suffer that day. One of his partners had "ten or 11" attempts to get out of a bunker on the short eighth, gave up and walked in.

Molinari is now a Ryder Cup and Omega Mission Hills World Cup winner, also has a World Golf Championships victory to his name, and will see his odds for next week's Open Championship cut even more if he goes on like this.

"I know it's not going to last forever," he added, "but I hope to keep this going a little bit longer - obviously next week, but the next month or so is really big for The Ryder Cup.

"That, probably more than The Open, is in my mind."

Two behind is Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares, who birdied his last six holes to match Molinari’s 29 strokes on the front nine.

Dane Søren Kjeldsen and France’s Raphaël Jacquelin lie one further back on seven under, while defending champion Donald began well with a five under par 67.

Phil Mickelson, who missed out on a trip to the Vatican to play, might need some help from above to win it after an opening 73 left him 11 behind Molinari.

Not that the three-time Masters Tournament champion is waiting for divine intervention.

"I think everybody is looked on equally and you have to make your own destiny," said Mickelson, who left his family in Italy because he felt the need to play more before going to Royal Lytham for next week's Open Championship.

The 42 year old, joint runner-up behind Darren Clarke at Sandwich last summer, began well enough with two birdies in his first three holes.

But his problems of late resurfaced with three bogeys and also a seven at the long 12th.

At one over, the same as playing partner Paul Lawrie, Mickelson is well outside the top 100 going into the second round.

Padraig Harrington finished three under par after a round of 69.

Paul McGinley was two strokes further behind.

Gareth Maybin continued to struggle with form and at one over par is well outside the cut, along with Damian McGaane.

Simon Thornton finished two over par after the opening round on Thursday..

Only the top 65 and ties make it through the 36-hole cut.

Leaderboard

Five Share Lead at Kingspan Concra Wood

Five players share a one-shot lead on two under par after a weather-disrupted first day of the Kingspan Concra Wood Open in Ireland.

Play was suspended shortly after 2:30pm in the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour event due to stormy weather but resumed at 4:15pm.

Lee Clarke, Paul O’Hanlon, Duncan Stewart, Andrew and George Woolgar all signed for two-under-par 70s and share a one-shot lead over 11 golfers who are tied for fifth.

Clarke (Everbuild Building Products) began his round from the 10th tee but bogeyed the par-four hole. He hit back immediately with an eagle two at the 11th but struggled at 12 where he made five at the par three.

Birdies at 13 and 15 saw Clarke move to one under par and he also broke par at seven and eight. A bogey four at his final hole, the ninth, prevented him from taking the outright clubhouse lead but the Englishman will be happy to have signed for 70.

O’Hanlon (The Curragh GC) also endured a mixed opening round, despite beginning with an eagle three at the first and improving his card with a birdie at the par-five fourth. His early work was undone, however, when he made four consecutive bogeys from the fifth to see him fall to one over par.

Turning home he made up for a disappointing conclusion to his front nine with birdies at 11, 13 and 14 to sign for a 70 and take a share of the lead.

Stewart (Grantown on Spey) made birdie five times but bogeys at 14, two and five saw him card a first round of 70. Willey (Notts Golf Club) started with a bogey at 10 before making a birdie at 15 and another bogey at 16.

On the back nine he eagled the par-five first before making bogey at two. Back-to-back birdies at three and four restored his score to two under par.

Woolgar (Capital Services), who also started at the 10th, has an eagle three at the first to thank for his share of the lead. He made four birdies in his round but also suffered four bogeys.

The Kingspan Concra Wood Open continues with the second round on Thursday, after which a cut of the top 50 plus ties will be made ahead of Friday’s final round.

Els Deems Darren Open Dark Horse

Ernie Els has named his dark horse for The Open next week - defending champion Darren Clarke.

The Northern Irishman may have made only one halfway cut all season, but Els said on the eve of the Scottish Open: "That's one place where he's comfortable.

"I know he's struggling with his game, (but) I know he's not that far off.

"He's got that great ball flight and if he gets that same talk he had last year (from American sports psychologist Bob Rotella) who knows? That could just swing things."

The 42-year-old South African hopes to be a contender himself, of course, on the course where he was joint second behind Tom Lehman in 1996 and joint third behind David Duval in 2001.

He won at Muirfield 12 months later, but a decade has now gone by without him adding to his three majors.

Anyone not following his career in that time might have thought he had fallen on hard times given that he arrived in Inverness on Easyjet - the "Big Easy" on Easyjet indeed.

"The boys are all in shock about that," he said. The explanation, however, was that his private jet is now back in the States.

Els threatened to end his barren spell at the US Open last month. A disappointing finish dropped him to ninth, but his play for most of the week reminded him of his prime years.

"There were times I doubted I could get back there, but I really felt like my old self and that's the positive I took out of it."

Like world number one Luke Donald he has had three weeks off since San Francisco and although he is rusty he added: "I'm not necessarily writing myself off this week."

Pettersen to Defend Killeen Title

Suzann Pettersen returns to the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Killeen Castle, County Meath to defend her title as Ladies Irish Open Champion. Teeing off on 3rd August, world no. 6, Pettersen will be joined by a selection of the world’s best female golfers as they battle it out in the quest to win one of the most prestigious competitions on the Ladies European Tour. 

Taking to the field in what is set to be one of the most competitive line-ups of the tour this season are four-time Irish Open Champion Sophie Gustafson and golfing legend Laura Davies as well as Solheim Cup Stars England’s Melissa Reid, Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall and the USA’s favourite Christina Kim.

The Ladies Irish Open supported by Fáilte Ireland takes place from the 3rd – 5th August at Killeen Castle, Dunsany, Co. Meath. Large crowds are expected to attend the event which is now one of the biggest events on the Ladies European Tour with a prize fund of €350,000.

Irish spectators will have plenty to cheer about with a wealth of home grown talent on show including Ireland’s top player, Rebecca Codd, recently turned professional, Danielle McVeigh from County Down and Carlow’s Tara Delaney. The sensational amateur twins, Leona & Lisa Maguire aged 17, jointly named Women’s Amateur of the Year at the AIB Irish Golf Writers’ awards for 2011, will also compete against the world’s best professionals.

Tournament Director, Roddy Carr commented, “I am delighted to announce such a strong international field for this year’s Irish Open and I am particularly pleased that so many of the victorious European Solheim Cup players will return to Killeen Castle, where they enjoyed one of the most dramatic wins over the USA in Solheim Cup history. I would encourage people of all ages to take this opportunity to watch our home grown players compete with the world’s best in one of the finest golfing venues in Ireland.”

Along with the top-class golf, there will be plenty entertainment for all including live music each day, a dedicated Kidzone and the traditional Farmer’s Market which will provide a host of delicious foods and beverages. 

Located just off exit 6 on the M3, just fifteen minutes from the Blanchardstown exit 6 M50 turn-off, the event is very accessible to the greater Dublin area and surrounding counties. 

Tickets are free for children and senior citizens and standard tickets cost just €10, with season passes for €25. Public parking is available on-site and tickets can be purchased on entry or by visiting www.ladiesirishopen.ie.