Golf News: Ross Fisher takes the lead on Day 2 of 3 Irish Open
It was a fascinating day at Killarney on Friday as the 3 Irish Open Golf tournament continued its exciting trend with some low scores and breadth taking putting. England’s Ross Fisher finished the second round with a 10 under 61 on Friday. It was also a good round for Francesco Molinari as he took the second position. Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy are chasing the leader with an aim to win at home soil.
Ross Fisher remained consistent and moved steadily to settle for a score of 59, when he putted six consecutive birdies. Predictions of breaking the record of 59 started to become evident when he made another set of four birdies from the 11th hole onwards. Unfortunately, he missed birdie putts at the 15th and two more after the 16th hole, which resulted into a 61.
The player seemed a bit annoyed after he missed the putts. Likewise, he could have become the first player to score a 59 on the European tour.
However, only 4 players on the U.S. tour have broken the record of 60. The most recent record-breaker is Paul Goydos who shot a 12 under par 59 on July 8 in the first round of the John Deere Classic. Ryo Ishikawa shot an unbelievable 12 under par 58 at the Crowns tournament. Bobby Wyatt is a 17-year-old amateur who scored 57 on a par -71 at the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship.
However, like so many other players, Ross Fisher could only manage to settle for the lowest score of his career and not a new record.
Francesco Molinari of Italy was second on the leader board after scoring a 66, followed by nine players who tied up for the third position at a score of 68. These players include Gonzalo Fernandez Castano, Brett Rumford, Noh Seung Yul, Anders Hansen, Padraig Harrington, Michael Hoey, David Dixon, Richard Green and Rory Mc Ilroy.
According to experts, the Italian was hitting the ball very well and his putting was even better, only if he could have improved on the bogeys at the 11th and 13th hole. A better performance could have taken him to the top 10. However, Francesco Molinari still has time on his hand if he starts with a faster pace in the third round and plans his shot in a disciplined manner.
Padraig Harrington putted with great energy just like he did in his amateur days. Padraig Harrington is an Irish golfing legend, having three major victories in the recent past, and is one of the favorites for the 2010 Irish Open Golf.
On the other hand, Rory McIlroy scored 14 birdies with seven bogeys in the tournament. He completed the second round with a score of 68. According to experts, this 21-year-old is challenging the players who are in the lead and he might end up to be one of them as well. Rory Mc Ilroy is the number 8th according to the official world golf rankings. The 41-year-old Darren Clarke scored 6 under 70 along with Paul McGinley who is the vice captain of the Ryder Cup for England.
Nevertheless, it was not a celebration for Ross Fisher only. Graeme McDowell and Justin Rose were celebrating as well but that was due to their birthdays. However, they did not perform well on the course and completed the day with a score of 69. Other than these two players, Rhys Davies and Simon Dyson also missed the top of the leader board after a shaky performance.
On the whole, the day went well for Ross Fisher who was in the lead with 10 under 61 on Friday at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club. So far, the lead is in the hands of an English man. However, the Irish are only a few points behind the leader. The third round of the tournament is about to start but can Ross Fisher maintain his lead? If he is unable to perform, players like Francesco Molinari and Rory Mc Ilroy will make their way up on the leader board. These are questions that will be answered in the next few days.
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