Harrington Bogeys US Open

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Padraig Harrington will miss the US Open for the second successive year after a bogey on the 36th hole saw him fall out of a play-off in qualifying at Walton Heath.

A run of four birdies from the 13th to the 16th in the afternoon on the Old Course had put the three-time major winner five under and in position to enter a six-man play-off for the final four spots available.

But he recorded a bogey five to miss out as South Africans Garth Mulroy, Thomas Aiken, Tjaart van der Walt and Australian Marcus Fraser qualified from the extra holes with Welshman Oliver Farr missing out.

"It was disappointing to bogey the last," Harrington said. "I nearly walked off after four holes this morning so I was surprised to have a chance at all.

"It was nice to get a run going on the back nine. It's one too many, so it is disappointing, especially after making a few birdies and getting inside the mark."

Two-time European Tour winner Alexander Levy will make his US Open debut at Chambers Bay next month after finishing top of the leaderboard at 11 under following a 66 on the Old Course and a 67 in the afternoon.

"I'm really happy. I played really good golf for the two 18 holes," he said. "I was positive and had a good attitude.

"It's nice to play the US Open. I was a little upset to slip out of the top 60 before Wentworth so it's great to now get in.

"It will be my first time in the US Open. I missed the Masters, so it will be great to play in another major."

Englishmen John Parry and Jason Palmer also qualified with the latter likely to get attention in the United States due to his unusual one-handed chipping style.

"The chipping is incredibly unique but it has saved my career, because there is no way I'd be competing as a professional if I didn't find the one-handed method," he said.

"At the end of last year I went from 50th on the Challenge Tour to having a win, a second place, and being on The European Tour and now this. I'm having an incredible time. I love the game of golf and at the moment it is being good to me.

"I doubt there have been many one handed chippers at the US Open before. The rough might be a bit too deep to play one-handed, so I'll have to assess it when I get there, but it is a problem I'm looking forward to have."

India's Shiv Kapur, Swede Alex Noren, Denmark's Lucas Bjerregaard and German Marcel Siem were the other qualifiers with Shane Lowry, Matteo Manassero and Nicolas Colsaerts among those to miss out.

Meanwhile, Wen-Chong Liang, Masahiro Kawamura, Hiroyuki Fujita, Kurt Barnes and Baek Seuk-hyun all progressed from the qualifying tournament in Japan.

Peter Lawrie and Gareth Maybin also failed in their efforts to make one of the the top eleven spots.

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Phelan Hopes for Lucky Madeira

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Kevin Phelan is hoping he will be touched by the luck of the Irish at the Madeira Islands Open – BPI – Portugal and, after making a new friend in the shape of Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clarke, the 24 year old is in buoyant mood.

The former amateur star earned the best European Tour finish of his career three weeks ago at the Joburg Open, where he shared second place with three others, two shots behind winner Anny Sullivan of England.

That result has given the former Walker Cup player a timely shot in the arm after he missed out on retaining his European Tour card last season, and suddenly the man who impressed at the US Open Championship in 2013 as an amateur is finding friends in high places.

“I met Clarkey (Darren Clarke) in Turkey and had dinner with him at a pro-am there and he’s been very helpful,” said the Waterford native. “There were a couple of young lads from ISM there and he was really helpful and nice with us, giving us advice, so he’s been good.

“He has such a wide knowledge base, he’s been playing for a really long time now and been very successfully all that time so he’s a great lad to know.

“He helped me with my yardage book in Joburg and he’s been really willing to help. It definitely helped me on one of the holes, on one of the par fives where he told me to get past pin high on the green - that was really good to know.

“He gave me a good bit of general advice, that whenever I learn something from certain players, to write it down and take note of everything and that way you can look back on it down the road so I’ve started doing that and that could be very helpful in future.

“He’s the perfect fit for the Ryder Cup captaincy, he’s obviously very willing to help and he has such a good record, individually and in Ryder Cups, he’s been on plenty of winning teams so he knows what he’s doing.”

Given that the world is celebrating his home nation this week, Phelan is hoping that he can follow in the footsteps Northern Irishman Michael Hoey and Ireland’s Des Smyth by etching his name on the trophy this week, and he feels the Clube de Golf do Santo da Serra course suits his eye.

“The course is good,” he said. “It’s firm again, like it was last. It was really windy during practice but we’re so high up you kind of expect that to be the case. The course is in good nick, the greens are really nice so it’s all good.

“I played well in Joburg and played well in parts in East London so it’s been good. I saw my coach there for a few days last week too so I’m trying to kick on this week and have a good one.

“My game is good in the wind, I have a lot of practice in it obviously so I’m well used to it at this stage. 

“Michael (Hoey) won this tournament a few years ago alright, although it was a different course, so I’ll do my best to make it another Irish winner here.”

Phelan is joined by fellow Irishmen Peter Lawrie, Ruaidhri McGee and Simon Thornton while Gareth Maybin is Northern Ireland’s sole representative on the picturesque Portuguese island.

A plethora of former champions of the event have returned for the 2015 edition, including home champion in 2012 Ricardo Santos, two-time European Tour winners Bradley Dredge and Alastair Forsyth as well as former Ryder Cup player Jarmo Sandelin.

The field also includes many of Portugal’s most promising young players, including Ricardo Gouveia, who won in his seventh event on the Challenge Tour last year before coming agonisingly close to earning a European Tour card at the Qualifying School Final Stage.

Scott Henry, meanwhile, returns hoping to go one better than last year, when he was beaten to the title by England’s Daniel Brooks on the first hole of a play-off.

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Kevin Phelan Leads Africa Open

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Kevin Phelan continued his impressive form by taking a one shot clubhouse lead at the Africa Open following an opening round 67.

The Irishman, who finished tied for second at the Joburg Open last week, negotiated the blustery conditions at the East London Golf Club superbly to sit five under.

Starting on the back nine, Phelan dropped his only shot on his second hole, the par four 477 yard 11th.

But the 24 year old responded in emphatic fashion with six birdies, including three consecutively from the fifth, the last of which was completed when he escaped from behind the trees following a disappointing tee shot.

Richard Bland and David Howell, also second last week, are leading the chase following four under par 68s, the former out in front before Phelan's superb late surge.

The Englishman produced three birdies on the front and back nine, but two dropped shots either side of the turn hampered his progress.

Bland said: “I had a little bit of a wobble through the middle, but I bounced back well. I hit a lovely shot into the 12th and made a good putt. On 14 today I hit driver, gap wedge and managed to take advantage of it. It was nice to finish strong.”

Bland would have slipped two off the lead if he had not produced an excellent chip shot to aid a putt for par on the last after over-hitting his approach.

Fellow countryman Howell collected a shot on his second and, despite cancelling that out on the next, four more gains helped his cause.

He said: “I played well and kept the ball in play. I think anything in the 60s is something to be delighted with.”

Scot David Drysdale, another early leader, and Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick were also among four players two shots off the lead.

Drysdale made a brief charge with an action-packed opening six holes, eagling the par five 509 yard first before collecting three birdies and a bogey, but failed to continue that hot streak and dropped a second shot on the 13th.

Fitzpatrick, starting on the back nine, was first out and his only blemish arrived on his penultimate hole, the eighth, which was the first of two consecutive bogies for Shaun Norris. 

With South Africans winning this event on all five occasions, Norris was leading the home charge on two under after a mixed round that also consisted of six birdies and a double bogey.

Andy Sullivan, aiming to make it a hat-trick of victories in co-sanctioned events this year after winning the South Africa Open and Joburg Open, struggled with a level par 72 with five birdies and the same amount of bogies.

The in-form Englishman, despite being five shots off the lead, will take heart from the fact that he produced a level par opening round last week at the Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club and still went on to win the event. 

Darren Clarke and Damien McGrane carded rounds of 72.

Michael Hoey and Peter Lawrie finished Thursday on five over par rounds of 77.

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