GOLF DIGEST/US TOUR:American journeymen Scott Stallings and Spencer Levin survived windy conditions to hold an early share of the second-round lead at the rain-hit Memorial tournament yesterday. Stallings carded a one-over-par 73 and Levin a 72 on a soggy Muirfield Village layout to finish level at five-under 139 after play had earlier been suspended for under two hours due to rain.
While former British Open winners Louis Oosthuizen and Ben Curtis, along with Masters champion Bubba Watson, were likely to miss the cut, Stallings and Levin limited the damage late in their respective rounds as the wind intensified.
Daniel Summerhays carded a 71 to lie one stroke off the pace at 140, one better than fellow Americans Troy Matteson (69) and Jonathan Byrd (70). Australian Adam Scott briefly got to six under but he dropped four shots over his last eight holes for a 72 to finish at two under.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Ross Fisher has dropped 130 places on the world rankings since he played in the last Ryder Cup, but he hopes the good times are back. Thanks to a five under par second round of 66 at Celtic Manor yesterday – scene of his debut two years ago, of course – the 31-year-old leads the ISPS Handa Wales Open at the halfway point.
“Hopefully this will be the start of a big summer for me,” said Fisher, who has not had a single top-five finish for almost 18 months. He stands 157th in the world, is not in the field for the US Open – he had a chance to win that three years ago – and is72nd on the Ryder Cup table with only 12 weeks of the race to go.
Fisher’s round began with a bogey six, but then came four birdies and two more to finish with from 12 and five feet established a lead that at one point was four shots.
First-round leader Lee Slattery, who is US Open-bound after qualifying on Monday, then cut the gap to two by adding a 71 to his opening 67. He did well to come back into the picture after three bogeys in his first eight holes. A 50-foot putt on the next revived his spirits, he then made a 25-footer for eagle on the 562-yard 11th and he holed from 18 feet on the last.
Ireland’s Damien McGrane is the leading Irish contender, six shots off the lead after another level par round of 71 for 142. Peter Lawrie and Paul McGinley had rounds of 73s for 145 while Gareth Maybin and Michael Hoey shot 76 for 149 and 151 respectively. Shane Lowry withdrew.
EUROPEAN SENIORS: Des Smyth was at the top end of a tight leaderboard after the opening day of the Benahavis Senior Masters, four shots off the lead with a three-under par round of 68 at La Quinta Golf and Country Club, in the Benahavis region of southern Spain.
The two-time Ryder Cup player was amongst six other players in tied 12th place as Welshman Mark Mouland set the pace on a record-equalling seven under par round of 64 seven under par.
Philip Walton is in tied 32nd after a level par round of 71 while Denis O’Sullivan was a shot further back after a one-over par round of 72.
IRISH SENIORS:Portmarnock's Adrian Morrow captured the Irish Seniors Amateur Open title at Athenry Golf Club yesterday after leading the event from start to finish.
Having started the day with a three-shot lead over Scotland’s Ian Brotherston, Morrow was never troubled by the chasing pack and ran out winner by three shots.
SCOTTISH OPEN AMATEUR STROKEPLAY: Ballymena teenager Dermot McElroy made a solid start to the Scottish Open Strokeplay Championship at Kilmarnock (Barassie) yesterday when he shot a one-over par 74 – but he will still have to step up a gear today if he is to survive the cut.
