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Padraig fights, Lyle quits

17/ 7/2008

IRELAND'S Padraig Harrington (pictured) battled foul weather and a wrist injury in defence of his Open title at Royal Birkdale today, but former champion Sandy Lyle quit after just 10 holes.

Harrington injured his right wrist on Saturday and put his chances of teeing off at 75% and only 50-50 to get through the championship, but was on the first tee as scheduled at 7:58am.

The 36-year-old dropped two shots in the first four holes but his wrist survived several visits to Birkdale's thick rough and he battled back to lie just one over after nine holes.

In contrast Lyle was 11 over par when it called it quits, the 50-year-old, playing in his 33rd Open, explaining: "It's probably my shortest Open ever. I got off to a miserable start and around the third or fourth hit a couple of shots which rattled my fingers and went a little numb.

"I could not swing the golf club in the end and was doing myself more harm than good so decided to call it a day."

After four hours' play only two players had actually managed to get under par, five-time champion Tom Watson, 58, making a birdie on the first before dropping back, and Korea's KJ Choi reaching one under with a birdie on the fourth before a bogey on the next.

Choi still shared the lead on level par with American Heath Slocum, who had been first reserve and no doubt thought his chance of playing had gone when Harrington teed off.

But Japan's Toru Taniguchi then withdrew with a back injury and Slocum was able to tee off at 9:42am alongside Hull's Richard Finch, the Irish Open winner, and 1995 champion John Daly.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson had insisted the 7,173-yard par 70 was "not a monster", but plenty of players were no doubt not in agreement.

Yorkshire's Simon Dyson, in the first group out with Australian Craig Parry and American Lucas Glover, went out in 39 and then ran up a nine on the par-four 10th. The former Walker Cup player was 12 over with two holes remaining.

Harrington saved par on the 10th to remain one over but it was slow going - his group taking three hours to complete just 10 holes.

Japan's Shintaro Kai was the surprise leader on one under par after two holes, the 27-year-old playing his first ever major championship and leading by one from Choi, former Masters champion Mike Weir and Slocum.

Winner in 2002 Ernie Els was a shot further back on one over after eight holes, as were Ian Poulter and Colin Montgomerie after six and five holes respectively.

Lee Westwood was not going so well, however, the former European number one five over after seven holes, and it would have been even worse had he not chipped in from off the green for a bogey five on the daunting sixth.

Justin Rose, fourth here as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998, was four over after 11 holes.

Parry recorded a round of 77, seven over par, but given the conditions said: “It's three under par I think.

“It's been a long, cold day and really miserable at times. The ball was going nowhere into the wind, the sixth is really tough, as is the 16th.

“Any time you miss the fairway you pay the penalty, chip out sideways and take your medicine.”

World number two Phil Mickelson found that out to his cost, losing a ball on the sixth to run up a triple bogey seven and slump to six over par.