Pádraig Harrington was frustrated not to be in a commanding position to win a second Irish Open title as tournament host Rory McIlroy missed the cut for the third year in succession.
Three-time Major champion Harrington predicted on Wednesday that an Irish player would lift the trophy on Sunday, with world number one McIlroy seemingly the most likely contender.
However, while McIlroy could only add a second round of 71 to his opening 80 at a windswept Royal County Down, a 73 on Friday left Harrington just one shot off the lead shared by English pair Tyrrell Hatton and Chris Wood, Scotland's Richie Ramsay, Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen, Austria's Bernd Wiesberger and Spain's Rafa Cabrera-Bello.
McIlroy followed his victory in the WGC-Cadillac Match Play with a seven-shot victory in the Wells Fargo Championship, but missed the cut in the defence of his BMW PGA Championship title at Wentworth and conceded the combination of wind, rain and links golf was not to his liking.
“The conditions at Quail Hollow, that’s my game, that’s what I do best,” McIlroy said. “Give me this golf course in those conditions and it would be a much different story.”
The 26-year-old was in sight of making the cut when he followed his first birdie of the week on the seventh with another on the 12th, only to thin a pitch on the 15th and three-putt from off the green for a double bogey.
“I was trying as hard as I could but just couldn’t get a good run of holes going,” added McIlroy, who had pledged to donate his prizemoney this week to his own foundation. “Unfortunately I just left myself too much to do.
“The support out there was phenomenal and it’s the third year in a row they are not going to see me playing on the weekend. I’m more disappointed for them. I’m honestly looking forward to two weeks off before the US Open.”
Minutes later McIlroy was in a car and heading home to Holywood, but although his duties as tournament host prevented an onward journey to Florida, he refused to blame them for his performance.
“It’s not as difficult as you might think. I’m definitely not using that as an excuse,” he added. “If anything it has fallen at a bad time as my fifth tournament in a row. In an ideal world I would have come in here with a bit different preparation.”
Harrington briefly enjoyed a five-shot lead when, having started on the 10th, he followed six straight pars with birdies on the 16th and 17th and picked up another shot on the first.
However, he then played the remaining eight holes in five over par.
“I’m pleased to be in contention but I would have preferred to be seven or eight under par and in a good position to move away from the field,” said the 43-year-old, whose victory in the Honda Classic in March was his first on a major tour since the 2008 US PGA.
“I’m now in a position where I need to play well over the weekend and not have anything go against me. There will be a lot of people who just make the cut who will think they can win now that I’ve come back to the pack. It will be a tougher weekend and I won’t have the luxury of any more bad runs.”
The testing conditions over the opening two rounds are reflected in the projected cut mark of five over, the highest of the season on the European Tour
That mark will see just six of the 22 Irish golfers that teed it up on Thursday making the weekend, with Major winners Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke, as well as former Royal County Down pro Simon Thornton, making it right on the number of five under.
Former Irish Open winner Shane Lowry is a shot better off on four over after carding a three-over 74 in the morning.
Lowry snapped his putter in frustration after missing a short putt early in his round and was forced to use a sand wedge for 16 holes. “I’m embarrassed, it is not something you want kids to see,” he admitted.
Lowry carded three birdies without his putter, including a stunning two on par-3 seventh when he sank a raker to delight the large crowds.
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley will also be in action over the weekend, a second round of 73 leaving him on three over.
