PADRAIG HARRINGTON and David Higgins each won more than £27,000 without hitting a golf shot in the rain-ravaged BMW Open, which was abandoned yesterday at the 36-hole stage. The two Irish rookie professionals finished joint third with England's Russell Claydon, behind Frenchman Marc Farry, whose opening two rounds of 65 and 67 gave him a one stroke win over Australian Richard Green.
Only 10 players, among them Raymond Burns, were able to complete their third rounds in the four hours 40 minutes of play that was possible between the heavy rainstorms on Saturday and Sunday, which eventually flooded the St Eurach course.
Darren Clarke had played 16 holes and was standing over a six yards birdie putt at the 17th on the five-under-par mark when he was called off the course for the final time. Like everyone else, his scores were expunged and Clarke reverted to his halfway position. Further salt was rubbed into his wounds when the German motor car sponsors reduced the prize money to 75 per cent of the scheduled £700,000. So Clarke shared last place with Burns who had shot 72 to remain on the two under par mark. Their reward was a meagre £1,669.
But neither Harrington nor Higgins had any complaints. The former moved up from eighth to fifth in the Volvo Ranking and has now collected £178,863 in his already remarkable first season. Higgins, who entered the tournament in 191st place in the merit list, has shot up to 90th with £31,136 and he will gain enormous confidence from his first round in particular, when a 64 put him at the head of a strong field. A subsequent 70 put him alongside Harrington (68-66) at 10 under par, and the 23-year-old son of Waterville's Seniors professional Liam Higgins, now has the platform to strike out for a 1997 Tour card.
An additional bonus for Higgins is that he has also gained a place in this week's French Open at the National club in Paris. However, he has not yet heard whether the sponsors of the Irish Open have granted him an invitation spot at Druids Glen.
Higgins said: "I had made only three cuts in my nine previous tournaments because I was trying too hard to do well and getting too tense. That got to my golf. But I felt so much at case here that I relaxed immediately and played the golf I know I am capable of. Everything went right for me in the first round, and the second was good as well, apart from the double bogey six I had at the 10th."
Higgins had a valid excuse for that, for a spectator's portable telephone rang at the top of his backswing, although he made no complaints about his misfortune. Meanwhile, Ronan Rafferty was credited with 44th place worth £2,782 for his three under par total of 141.
