Vivendi Cup second round leaderboard (par=72): -13 J Parry (Eng), J Sandelin (Swe) -10 J Guerrier (Fr), J Morrison (Eng), R Green (Aus) -9 S Kjeldsen (Den), J Edfors (Swe), P Ellberg (Swe), A McArthur (Sco), RJ Derksen (Ned), F Delamontagne (Fr) Selected others:-3 P McGinley (Ire) -2 P Harrington (Ire) -1 T Bjorn (Den)
 Harrington, flanked by brother Fergal, saw some light at the end of the tunnel |
Ryder Cup wildcard Padraig Harrington survived the cut by one shot at the Vivendi Open after a 74 left him at two under, 11 shots off the halfway lead. The 39-year-old, without a title since the 2008 USPGA, is playing in France to find form ahead of the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, starting on 1 October. He began with a 68 at the Marly course, but found the Retz lay-out much tougher and ran up double and triple bogeys. John Parry and Jarmo Sandelin share the lead at 13 under, three shots clear. Parry, a team-mate of Rory McIlroy in the 2007 Walker Cup, also led in Austria after two rounds last week, but fell back to 20th. That left the 23-year-old from Harrogate in 116th place on the money list - and only the top 115 keep their cards at the end of the season. Sandelin, the 43-year-old Swede who played alongside Harrington in the 1999 Ryder Cup, has had to go back to the qualifying school twice since, and won the last of his five European tournaments in 2002. Harrington, the only player from the world's top 80 in the field, is also the only member of the European team in action this week, after Peter Hanson withdrew before the first round because of a chest infection. The Dubliner has four top-10 finishes in nine European events this season but has slipped from third to 22nd in the world rankings in the two years he has gone without a tournament victory.  | 606: DEBATE |
He birdied all four par-five holes on Friday but it was at the par-fours where he encountered problems, going out of bounds with a hook at the 12th, and dropping seven shots in four holes. But in the pro-am style event that reverts to the top 65 professionals for the final two rounds at the Marly course, Harrington was inspired by his brother Fergal, who chipped in from off the green at the 17th, after which his younger sibling holed from around 15ft for a birdie. "I made two terrible mental errors and they do a lot of damage, but I need to practise my putting and get that ready for next week," said Harrington, who has had five three-putts in the first two rounds. "I can see that's the weakest part of my game and that's where my focus will be. That needs to be tidied up for next week. "But I like the fact that I played well when I had to. It's always good when your back is to the wall, you have to perform and you do." Overnight leader Johan Edfors was another to struggle on the Retz course, which at 6,811 yards is 82 yards longer than the Marly. Edfors equalled the lowest round of the European Tour season on Thursday with a 61, but had a disastrous outward nine of 41, including consecutive double bogeys, although he recovered with three successive birdies and carded a 74 to share sixth. Ryder Cup vice-captain Paul McGinley is in a tie for 50th at three under after a mixed 73 containing five birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey, while another of captain Colin Montgomerie's assistants, Thomas Bjorn, also shot 73 and is one under.
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