Darren Clarke moved into contention at the Open with a three-under par round of 69 at the Open today, while Padraig Harrington believes he probably has too much ground to make up already after a desperately disappointing first round 75.
England's Greg Owen and Anthony Wall share the clubhouse lead on five-under.
After his round, Clarke said he is likely to be out of golf "for the foreseeable future" as he wishes to spend more time with his wife Heather who is continuing her fight with cancer.
"I think this will be my last week for quite some time," commented Clarke. "I have no plans to play in the foreseeable future. She is struggling a lot at the moment. It's a really tough thing we are having to deal with, but she is a real fighter and is battling on."
Playing with world number two Phil Mickelson, Clarke came home in a four under par 33 to get back into the hunt after turning only one over.
"I'm just trying to do as well as I can and for the last few weeks I've been pretty good - until Sunday afternoon."
He had chances to win the Irish Open, European Open and Scottish Open, but could not complete the job.
A call from sports doctor Conor O'Brien may help him on that score, however. He told Clarke he looked dehydrated and the 37-year-old upped his fluid intake.
"I've probably neglected it with everything else going on," he said.
Clarke is playing this week on the course where in 1947 Fred Daly became the only Irish winner of the Open in history.
Meanwhile, Harrington was despondent after an ugly round of 75.
"I think I've played myself out of it," said the Dubliner. "I just had one of those days. I'm not blaming anything. I just couldn't do much right.
"Every time I looked like getting back into it I didn't make the putt and then followed it with a bogey."
And that after starting with a double bogey six when he drove into a bunker and three-putted.
Further proof that it was not going to be his day came when he broke one of the spikes of a shoe and had another pair brought out to him on the course.
