Padraig Harrington went the wrong way on the leaderboard in the second round of the SAS Championship as his hopes of claiming top spot in the Charles Schwab Cup standings this week faded.
The 51-year-old started the day in Cary, North Carolina just outside the top-10 at two-under-par but fired three birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey in a one-over 73 to slide outside the top-30.
Harrington was always playing catch-up after he double-bogeyed the par-five seventh, even though he would birdie the following hole, and after birdieing the par-five 12th he would close bogey-birdie-bogey to end his round at one-under-par.
In a share of 34th, Harrington is projected to remain second in the Order of Merit standings behind Steven Alker and would need an incredible final round to overhaul the New Zealander.
He would likely need to jump above leaders Fred Couples and Y.E. Yang, who are seven shots ahead of him at eight-under-par following second rounds of 68 and 70 respectively.
Couples had four of his six birdies on his back nine on his way to tying Yang at the top, the Korean carding five birdies, a bogey and a double to hold a one-stroke lead over Jerry Kelly, Scott McCarron and Rocco Mediate, with Alker a shot further behind at six-under after a second round 66.
Meanwhile, Darren Clarke had a similarly tough round to Harrington as he slipped down the leaderboard to 42nd after a one-over 73 of his own took him to level-par.
The Seniors Open champion had started strongly with birdies at the second and third, but a bogey at the par-five seventh and a double-bogey at the ninth undid that good work, with one birdie and one bogey each coming on the back nine.
Leave a comment