PADRAIG HARRINGTON'S hopes of victory in the South African PGA Championship have been virtually ruined by a Johannesburg hotel thief. Upset by a burglary at his room, discovered the night before his second round, Harrington made a faltering start yesterday, from which he never, recovered.
The harassment of the theft (including a credit card and cellphone) and another poor day on the Houghton greens, which will cause him to don his spectacles again today, sent Harrington well down into the pack. Only a dramatic late chip in birdie, in fact, eased any worries of even missing the cut.
A one under par 71, when many blazed away to, some remarkable scores, left Harrington four under par and nine shots off the pace set by his playing partner Retief Gossen, and eight behind David Frost, whose 63 broke the course record by one as he mopped up six shots in his last four holes to return in just 28 strokes. Overnight leader Thomas Goegele is with Frost on 12 under par. Last week's winner Nick Price lurks still on 11 under.
Paul McGinley is leading Irishman on six under after a 67, but still disgruntled with his birdie count. This time he had six birdies, four of them on par fives, and dropped one shot with a three putt. Harrington is also one behind his compatriot David Higgins, who is five under par after a 70, but they are the only Ireland players on duty today. Eamonn Darcy missed the cut by three shots despite a 69 for one under while John McHenry was way off target after his second 73 for two over.
If Harrington is to continue his Ryder Cup surge this weekend, he will have to rediscover his touch on the greens. While still not completely at ease after the fitful night following the burglary, he three putted his first hole from only 10 feet, missing a two footer. And a succession of small putts failed to go to ground, including another two footer which cost him another bogey. His birdies came from a chip, then a pitch very close and the chip in unable to rely at all on any putts of length to pick up a shot all day. "It'll have to be the glasses for the third round," he reported. "I'm not seeing any of the lines. And it's a shame because the rest of my game is as solid as it can be."
McGinley feels something of a mixture of Harrington's thoughts: "I putted much better and I need to because this is now a putting competition on really good greens, was McGinley's view. "But I only made my score because of the par fives and I'm just not taking my chances yet."
The leading trio certainly did take their chances but remarkably, Frost, who repeated his 63 feat of a few weeks ago at Pebble Beach on the US tour, reckoned he had missed five further birdie chances inside 12 feet.
The good natured South African has another duty today as well as trying to catch his compatriot Goosen. After launching an appeal in America to his fellow tour, pros, for trainers for the South African Golf Development Concern to give to local caddies, Frost was inundated with 600 pairs of shoes, including half a dozen from Jack Nicklaus. Today he will present the shoes - if they can be released from customs.
