Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia watches his shot from the second tee during the second round of the PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, England, yesterday
VIRGINIA WATER, England: Francesco Molinari flourished while several of his European Ryder Cup team mates fell flat on their faces as the Italian grabbed the lead in the PGA Championship second round yesterday.
Luke Donald, the 2011 and 2012 winner, Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell all missed the halfway cut after enduring cold, dank conditions at the European Tour’s flagship event.
A miserable Wentworth course almost turned into ‘Wetworth’ as driving rain, eight-degree temperatures and 15-mph winds brought out the multi-coloured umbrellas, waterproofs, mittens and beanies for the second day in a row.
The bad weather, however, played right into Molinari’s hands as he fired a four-under 68 for a six-under tally of 138. British pair Marc Warren (70) and Mark Foster (69), Spain’s Alejandro Canizares (70) and South African George Coetzee (70) were all one stroke off the pace.
“This weather is the same for everyone but I think in some ways, for me, it’s almost better because it makes it even tougher,” Molinari told reporters.
“If I’m playing well I hit quite a lot of fairways and greens so I can take advantage of it,” said the Italian who is renowned for the excellence of his long game.
“I’m hitting the ball well off the tee and with the irons, I’m getting a few chances and the putter is working well so I’m really happy where I am at the moment.”
Molinari may have been smiling but Donald, McIlroy, Poulter and McDowell certainly were not.
Donald, bidding for a hat-trick of PGA titles, could not retrieve the situation after a woeful first-round 78 had left him with a mountain to climb.
“Even for England this is pretty unseasonal and it made the course play tougher,” said the Briton after returning a 72 yesterday.
World number two McIlroy missed the cut here for the second season running.
“I’m looking forward to playing some golf where I’m not playing in four layers of clothing,” said the Northern Irishman. “But that’s not really an excuse - I just didn’t play well. For 12 or 13 holes yesterday I played really well and it’s just when the weather started to turn a little bit, I didn’t hang in there. It was a grind and I made too many mistakes and hit too many bad shots.”REUTERS
