Rafa pulls clear in Paris

Out of sorts Harrington misses fifth straight cut in Paris

Last updated: 3rd July 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Rafa pulls clear in Paris

Echenique: two-shot lead

Second round leaderboard:
(GB & Ire unless stated)
R Echenique (Arg) -10
M Kaymer (Ger) -8
C Schwartzel (SA) -8
S Webster -8
R Green (Aus) -7
P Hanson (Swe) -7

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Rafael Echenique fired a second round of 67 to open up a two-shot lead at the halfway point of the French Open, but it was Padraig Harrington who made more unwanted headlines as the Dubliner missed his fifth successive cut.

Harrington posted a second round of 75 to finish on four-over-par after 36 holes - some 14 shots behind leader Echenique.

The 37-year-old now has just one further event - week's Irish PGA championship - to try and rediscover some form before his bid for a third successive Open Championship crown gets underway at Turnberry.

Harrington, who ran up a triple-bogey eight at the 14th on Friday, insisted it was his previously rock-solid putting that was now giving him most cause for concern.

"I was never comfortable on the greens all week," he stated. "I'm hoping that's all it was. I just struggled - just putted terribly and didn't get any confidence. That's reflected in the score.

"It showed up the weakness in my putting. I've been happy with it and still am physically, but it certainly got on top of me this week and that's where the focus will be.

"You don't just click, but I have another week. The last six months the focus has been on my swing and definitely now I will be firmly focused on my previous strength - a good, sharp short game."

Defiant

However, he remained defiant about his Open chances, adding: "I'm not worried about how hard they set up Turnberry. I will be more worried about how I am - but I can manage any challenge."

For his part, Echenique's outstanding recent form showed no signs of letting up as he pulled two strokes clear of his closest rivals; overnight leader Martin Kaymer (72), South African Charl Schwartzel (66) and Steve Webster who shot a best-of-the-day 65.

The Argentine, who produced a memorable albatross in Munich last week, came up with a birdie at Le Golf National on Friday as he took three at the third to complete an eventful opening three holes which also included a bogey and a birdie.

Four further birdies followed, as well as two more bogeys, as Echenique set the target at ten-under.

Having managed eight birdies and an eagle during his first round, Kaymer could not repeat those fireworks as he produced just a single birdie and two bogeys to drop off the pace.

Freak injury

Schwartzel and Webster shot six and seven birdies apiece and the Englishman later revealed he had only just recovered from a freak eye injury that forced him out of last week's event in Germany.

Helping his father, Webster was struck in the left eye by a loft door and required stitches.

"I was worried quite a lot at first because it cut inside my eye," he explained.

"I had to have X-rays first and then stitches. The doctor told me 'Lay on the bed and don't move - I'm just going to put two needles in your eye.'

"I had a black eye for a few days, but I was lucky really. I told him to make me a better putter while he was at it and he seems to have done a good job!"

A shot behind the group on eight-under are Australian Richard Green and Swede Peter Hanson, while Lee Westwood and fellow Englishman Paul Waring are four shots off the pace on six-under.

Last year's runner-up Colin Montgomerie - without a top-10 finish since then - triple-bogeyed the final hole and only just survived the cut, but Masters champion Angel Cabrera was not so lucky as he went out on three-over.

Irish Open amateur winner Shane Lowry made his first cut as a professional at the fourth attempt, while Ian Poulter also stays on for the weekend following a second round of 69 that left him at one-under.