Old soldier Des Smyth kept his Open dreams alive as Tiger Woods' Grand Slam hopes were blown away at Muirfield yesterday.

Smyth, 49, shot a remarkable three over par 74 to finish on two under par as Woods carded a ten over par 81 - his worst round as a professional.

It left Smyth just three shots behind leader Ernie Els and tied with Sergio Garcia (71), Justin Leonard (68), Justin Rose (68), Scott McCarron (72), Thomas Bjorn (73) and Shigeki Maruyama (75) in third place on two under par.

Els shot a one over par 72 as Dane Soren Hansen shot a two over par 73 to trail the Big Easy by two on three under.

Padraig Harrington kept himself in the frame with two birdies in the last five holes to finish with a 76 on one under par alongside Peter Lonard and Steve Elkington.

Darren Clarke started the day just three behind the five leaders on three under but despite getting off to the ideal start with a birdie from five feet at the first, the wheels were soon to come off.

Out in four over par 40, he dropped further shots at the 10th, 15th and 16th but birdied the 17th to finish on three over par after a 77.

But the story of the day came from Smyth, who drew on all his experience in his 22nd Open to lead the Irish challenge .

"I'm happy to be still in contention," he said. "It was one of the worst days I've ever played on. They couldn't stop play but it was almost unplayable for an hour. When conditions are that bad nobody has an advantage, it's just a matter of survival.

"I was disappointed to finish with two bogeys but I'm delighted to be still kicking around. I stared with a double but then made some tremendous pars."

Smyth double bogeyed the first by three putting from the fringe but then played superb golf to cover the next 17 holes in just two over par - 13 of them in storm conditions.

A birdie at the ninth saw him reach the turn in just two over and when he holed from 12 feet for par on the 10th he was tied for the lead with Dane Soren Hansen and Swede Carl Pettersson.

He rolled in another 12 footer for par at the next to stay ahead and after missing a chance on the 13th, he rolled in a 18 footer for birdie on the next to lead on his own.

He dropped a shot at the par five 17th when his third shot finished inches from a deep pot bunker and he couldn't get up and down.

At the last his approach landed on the 'island' in the middle of the bunker, but after pitching to three feet his par putt lipped out.

The storm rolled in off the Firth of Forth at two o'clock and Woods would turn out to be one of the principal victims as he dropped six shots to par on the way out and then made three bogeys and a double bogey in the first five holes on the way home.

He eventually made his first birdie of the day at the par five 17th and then saw a five footer horseshoe out at the 18th and had to settle for a 10 over par 81.

His previous worst round came in the 1996 Holden Australian Open where he shot a seven over par 79.

Garcia covered the back nine in level par in the worst of the weather for a level par 71 to join the early leaders on two under in the clubhouse.

He said: "I feel like I shot five or six under par. I prefer to be sitting here at two under than out on the course and 11 under. I was lucky I played five or six holes without rain but it was blowing a lot.

"I hit driver, three wood and punched nine iron from 150 yards on the fifth where this morning guys were making eagles. It was really blowing out there so I'm happy with the result."

Garcia went out in level and then erased a bogey at the 13th with a birdie four at the 17th for a 71 that could prove to be one of the rounds of the week.

But it was a very different story for Grand Slam chasing Woods as he crashed to a six over par front nine of 42 with four bogeys and a double bogey.

Despite taking an iron off the tee at the first Woods missed the fairway to the right, hacked out 30 yards short of the green, pitched 12 feet past the hole and missed his par putt.

He then bogeyed the 213 yard fourth and made a double at the par five fifth where he was in the rough twice, short in three and then through the green in four before failing to get up and down.

Another bogey came at the 468 yard sixth where his tee shot ended up in the right rough. He eventually went out in 42 and completely lost interest on the back nine when he bogeyed the 10th, 12th and 15th and double bogeyed the par three 13th by taking two to extricate himself from a bunker.

Top

© Brian Keogh 2002

Back