A strong finish to his second round left double Open champion Padraig Harrington right on the cutline at Royal Liverpool today.
Harrington, the last player to successfully defend the Claret Jug when he won at Royal Birkdale in 2009 to follow up his Carnoustie victory 12 months previously, started the day on three over par and immediately dropped a shot on his first yesterday.
However, the Dubliner got that shot back on the fifth and, after bogeys on eight and 10, played the last eight holes in two under to leave at three over for the tournament, right on the +3 cut mark.
Shane Lowry looked set to miss the weekend with the 2019 Open champion unable to find a birdie in his entire 18 holes.
The Offaly man, one over after his first round, went out in 36 after eight pars and a bogey at the fourth, before adding bogeys at the 11th and 16th, and a double at the 14th to leave him three shots adrift of the projected cut.
Seamus Power found himself one outside that mark of three-over after giving himself a chance of playing today with a birdie at the last to complete a four-over round of 75.
The Waterford native, level par going into his second round, also birdied the fifth but those red numbers bookended bogeys at six and 10 and doubles at eight and 13.
Darren Clarke will miss the Open cut for the fifth time in-a-row after the 2011 champion managed just one birdie among five bogeys and one double in his six-over round of 77, dropping to eight over following his opening round 73.
And amateur Alex Maguire, who carded a one over 72 on Thursday, began his second round steadily, parring the first seven holes, but a double bogey on the eighth precipitated a tough back nine, with bogeys on 10, 11 and 18 joined by double bogeys on 14 and 17 for a round of 80 to finished his championship on 10 over par.
