ANDALUCIA OPEN:AS ONE 40-year-old Irishman was making waves on the other side of the Atlantic, another moved through the field at the Andalucia Open in Marbella to within touching distance of the lead at the halfway stage. Damien McGrane's second round of 67 took the Meath man to seven under par and a share of second place at Aloha, one behind the unheralded Spaniard, Eduardo de la Riva.
McGrane, without a win on the European Tour since breaking his duck at the China Open in 2008, has tournament host Miguel Angel Jimenez for company on seven under, while first-round pacesetter Matteo Manassero and Pablo Larrazabal are also one off the lead.
Starting on the 10th tee, McGrane’s round sparked into life just after the turn as he dropped four birdie putts in five holes to put himself in contention. He would blot his copybook with a bogey at the sixth but finished with a flourish with a three on the ninth to sign for a deserved 67.
Belfast man Michael Hoey is also in with a shout, just a shot further back on six under, while Gareth Maybin cannot be discounted on four under.
Jimenez, who had to plough a significant amount of his own money into the event to make up the prize money after struggling to attract sponsors, would become the European Tour’s oldest-ever winner this weekend should he recoup some of his own investment.
Des Smyth, then 49, holds the record after his win at the 2001 Madeira Island Open; Jimenez would be 39 days older than the Louth man if he claims his 19th European Tour title tomorrow.
De la Riva, ranked 610th in the world and not even a member of the circuit, is the surprise halfway leader. The 29-year-old from Barcelona, one of eight players given places in the event off the Spanish Order of Merit, stands eight under par after rounds of 67 and 69.
He has been to the qualifying school nine times and the only time he made it through was a decade ago, but last October he had his best ever finish of third at the Madrid Masters.
“I had a poor start,” de la Riva said of yesterday’s round. “I missed a three-footer on the first and bogeyed the second from 20 feet. I was beginning to lose confidence, but then I hit it close and made birdie on the third. That settled me.
“I am very pleased with my birdie on 18 which is a challenging hole. I took a five wood and four iron over the water. I played well off the tee but the key today were my shots to the green from 100 to 150 yards.”
Among those on six under is England’s Oliver Wilson, nine times a runner-up. One of those near-misses came when he lost a play-off to Jimenez in the 2008 PGA Championship at Wentworth. He went on to earn a Ryder Cup debut later that season but lost his card last year after slumping to 130th on the money list.
Wilson, playing on an invitation from Jimenez, says he took “a lot of flak” for not going back to the qualifying school in December, but he says he put his health first. The 31-year-old suffered from stomach ulcers and parasites from drinking water in Bahrain early in 2011 but is back to fitness after having his system flushed out. “It would be nice not to have to rely on invites, but that’s the position I’m in,” he said after his 67. “Miguel’s been fantastic. It means a lot, especially when it’s another player.”
Cork golfer Niall Turner is in contention to claim his first victory on the Asian Tour after he finished the third round of the Cambodian Classic on 14 under par to remain in second place behind South Korea’s Kim Hyung-Sung.
