Dunne up to ninth as McDowell slips out of contention

Graeme McDowell saw his quest for a triple French Open champagne victory toast horribily turn to water on day two of the French Open in Versailles.

McDowell had posted two earlier double bogeys but walked off the last with a soul-destroying quadruple-bogey ‘8’ in a round of 77 for a six over par tally.

‘G Mac’ had been sharing 10th place on the final tee but dropped to a then share of 36th with Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult, 21 producing a sizzling 65 to lead the field by two shots on six-under par.

Next week’s defending Irish Open champ, Jon Rahm (69) is well-place at three-under par while World No. 2 Justin Thomas produced a second straight 70 to be at two-under.

However, Thomas also marred his second round with a 17th hole double-bogey, where he needed to appease a rules official with six ‘unplayable’ drops from long grass to the right of the green.

Greystones’ Paul Dunne finds himself the best of the three Irish, birding five of his opening seven holes in a 67 to be sharing ninth place on one-under.

Included in McDowell’s round were two birdies but also a pair of double-bogeys, each sticking out like the proverbial dogs hind leg on the scorecard. McDowell doubled the par-5 third hole and a day after taking a birdie and then doubled the par-4 13th.

Aside from the two mishaps there was again some superb golf from the tee for the European Ryder Cup vice-captain but there was also a number of putts for birdie that just didn’t hit the hole, including the 17th where McDowell was pin-high left of the flag.

Then at the last, where he’s stood triumphant as the 2013 and 2014 Le National champion, McDowell had just a wedge into the green only to look on in surprise when he got a ‘flyer’. McDowell’s ball took one bounce off the putting surface before disappearing into the water at the back of the green.

Then when it looked as though he would post a third double of his round, McDowell two-putted from short distance for his ‘8’.

Also at three-over is Shane Lowry in posting a 75 that included two birdies, four bogeys and a sixth hole double-bogey.