Walton's dream start

The remark was pretty much tongue-in-cheek, but it nevertheless emphasised Philip Walton's comfort with his position. "I'm not really an early morning player, so I'll probably stay up all night," said the 36year-old Dubliner of his 7.35 a.m. tee-time in today's second round of the British Open.

Yesterday, he constructed solid foundations. "This place owes me a favour or two," said Walton, of his love-hate relationship with the links.

After a day when the Irish challenge promised more than it ultimately delivered, Walton's two-under-par 68 was an entirely satisfactory return. It left him not only on target to make his first cut in the event since his tied-13th finish at Troon in 1989, but also cast in the role of challenger.

Elsewhere, the other Irish stories were of woe. Paul McGinley was two under par standing on the 16th tee but finished bogey-double bogey-bogey for 72. "I played some wonderful golf but got screwed," he professed.

Padraig Harrington admitted to putting "woefully" on his way to a 73, and last year's runner-up, Darren Clarke, pretty much echoed those sentiments in confessing to four three-putts in his opening round of 73.

Walton had no complaints with his putting. If anything, the only part of this game that caused the merest frown to appear under his Ping visor was with his driving; and, last evening, he headed off to the practice range for an hour's work with his tutor, Bob Torrance.

"It's only something small. I'm over-cutting the ball, and it probably has as much to do with a slightly stiff neck as anything else," said Walton, who paid a flying visit home to his chiropractor on Monday to have two vertebrae manipulated back into place.

Walton had six birdies in his round - in fact, only Tiger Woods, Nick Price and Brad Faxon had as many - but, unfortunately, he allowed four bogeys to slip onto his card. Three bogeys came on the homeward run (at the 10th, 11th and 18th), all of them the result of pushed drives.

But Walton enjoyed a dream start when he chipped in from 20 yards for a birdie at the first. Then, after bogeying the second, he sank a 12footer at the third and a 20-footer at the fourth.

He had to wait until the 12th hole (where he hit a seven-iron approach to eight feet) for his next birdie, but claimed another two at the par fives, the 15th and 17th.

McGinley looked as if he, too, would record at least a 68. He was two under par after three holes and still that way after 15 holes. "I didn't have any rub of the green at all," said McGinley. "I missed the fairway by no more than 10 yards on the last three holes and had impossible lies. I'd have been better off if I had missed them by 40 yards."

Indeed, The K Club touring professional had the indignity of two "air shots" in the tigerish rough (one on the 13th and another on the 17th) as he lamented a round that had boded well for so long.

Clarke, who had 38 putts in his 73, was extremely disappointed with his opening effort. "I don't know why the putting went wrong," he said. "I missed some early on and it just killed me. However, there are still three days to go."

And Harrington was similarly determined to recover from his 73. "I was in the rough too often, and it was just so hard to control the distance out of it. I got a lot of flyers and I just putted woeful. I horseshoed out three times."

Yorkshire-born Robert Giles, the assistant professional at Warrenpoint, made a solid start to his British Open debut with a 72, while Graham Spring, who had his dad, Arthur, a European Senior Tour player, caddying for him, shot 74.

Des Smyth also finished with a 74 and Francis Howley was another Irish player to feel the pinch from the closing stretch, double bogeying the last for a 78.