Friday, September 24, 2010

Harrington avoids embarrassing exit in Ryder Cup warm-up

Published>Sat, Sep 25 10 02:18 AM

European Ryder Cup player Padraig Harrington avoided embarrassment by just managing to make the halfway cut at the Vivendi Cup on Friday.

The Irishman recovered from a triple bogey at the 12th with three birdies over the last six holes for a two-over par 74 on the Retz course, leaving him two-under at Golf de Joyevnal.

The world No. 22 is 11 shots behind England's John Parry (67) and former Ryder Cup team member Jarmo Sandelin of Sweden (66) who share the lead at 13-under par.

Parry finished with a pair of birdies while Sandelin, a member of the losing 1999 European Ryder Cup team, was helped by a purple patch on the front nine that included a birdie at five, an eagle at six and another a birdie at the seventh.

Four players -- South Africa's George Coetzee (66), Australia's Richard Green (66), England's James Morrison (68) and French rookie Julien Guerrier (69) -- are in second place three behind the leaders at 10-under par.

Harrington is the only European Ryder Cup player competing in France after Sweden's Peter Hanson withdrew through illness before the start of play on Thursday.

The Irishman added the French tournament to his schedule in a last minute decision after being knocked-out of the Tour Championship being held in Atlanta.

The triple major winner also turned his back on competing in this week's Irish PGA Championship, an event he won three times in succession from 2007.

Harrington mixed five birdies with two bogeys, a fifth hole double-bogey and the triple bogey at the par four 12th on Friday when he first drove out-of-bounds and then found water in front of the green with his third shot.

But birdies at 13, 16 and 17 saved Harrington from missing the cut for a third event in succession on the European Tour.

"It wasn't great as I had a couple of early three-putts again," he said. "I found the greens slow today and got in between clubs on the 12th and you can't afford that."


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