ASIAN TOUR: Padraig Harrington endured some high drama en route to a second-round 67 at the Macau Open yesterday. On the tight par-four seventh hole, he had to hit three provisional balls due to wayward shots that found trouble. He eventually found his first ball, which was unplayable, and settled for a bogey five.
"I had four balls in play at one stage and then I made bogey on that hole! So I actually played five different golf balls and then I made a five. That must be a record," said Harrington, whose two-round total of 136 is five behind the leader, India's Amandeep Johl.
To cap his day, Harrington broke his five-iron trying to get out of trouble from behind a tree on the 15th before finishing strongly, holing a 25-footer on the 17th and then an eight-foot birdie on the last hole.
Johl, who set a course record with a first-round 62, carded a second-round 69 for a total 131 with Harmeet Kahlon second after another 66.
US TOUR: Tiger Woods shot eight birdies in a second round 66 to set the clubhouse target of nine under par 135 at the halfway mark in The Wachovia Championship at the Quail Hollow Club, North Carolina.
Woods is two ahead of first round leader Kirk Triplett and Notah Begay with Stuart Appleby and Brett Quigley next best of the completed rounds.
RYDER CUP: Lee Westwood has criticised the European tour for the rule which has led to Jesper Parnevik counting himself out of the Ryder Cup in September.
And the Swede may not be alone. Parnevik, a member of the last three sides, has become the first US Tour-based European to say he will not commit himself to 11 European Tour events this season and is therefore ineligible for Bernhard Langer's team - even as a wild card.
Spain's Sergio Garcia, England's Luke Donald, German Alex Cejka and Parnevik's fellow Swedes Carl Pettersson and Richard Johnson have until the end of this month to make decisions and Westwood thinks it wrong that they have been put in such a position.
"The last time I checked the Ryder Cup was between Europeans and Americans, not the European tour and the US PGA Tour," said Westwood.
CHALLENGE TOUR: Michael Hoey conquered his Italian jinx to become the leading Irishman at the European Challenge Tour's Tessali-Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata after a second round 72 left him on two under par 141 - five shots behind the leader, Leif Westerberg, of Sweden. The Belfast man had played in the Tessali-Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata for the last two seasons but twice missed the halfway cut.
Stephen Browne on 143 after a 75 and Colm Moriarty on 145 also made the cut.
SENIORS TOUR: Trinidad & Tobago's Alan Mew assembled a fine four-under-par 68 to take the first round lead in the Open de France Seniors yesterday.
Mew, who turned professional at the Seniors Tour Qualifying School in 2002 opened up a one-stroke lead from England's David J Russell, who is making his debut on the circuit.
The Open de France Seniors is being played at Omaha Beach Golf Club, and is part of celebrations to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the "D-Day" landings.
Eddie Polland is best of the Irish on 71 with Liam Higgins on 72, John Curtis on 74 and Denis O'Sullivan 76.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Des Smyth took a four over par seven at the par three 16th to finish well down the field on 76 after the first round of the FedEx Classic at The Hills CC, Austin, Texas. Raymond Floyd and Sam Torrance share the on five under par 67 - one ahead of Mark McNulty and Allen Doyle.
