| Straffan,
Ireland, 21st August 1998 -
Golfing veterans Bernhard Langer and Jose Rivero shared a one-stroke halfway lead
in the Smurfit European Open on Friday. Germany's
Langer, 40, stormed through the K Club course with a second round of 65, one off
the course record, for an overall score of 138. Spaniard
Rivero, 43 next month and without a European tour event victory since 1992, carded
eight birdies in his 66. Rivero
left the Irish crowd gasping at the 18th hole when he pulled his three wood out
of the bag to drive from a bunker. His shot hit the green and he two-putted for
birdie to grab a share of the lead. Scotland's
world number seven Colin Montgomerie, American Payne Stewart and Spain's Seve
Ballesteros were among the high-profile players who failed to make the cut on
the testing course, which criss-crosses the River Liffey. Montgomerie
finished eight over par on 152, continuing a disastrous run; "It has been
going wrong for the past two years and hopefully this is going to be the culmination
of it. "I
have to get a good score in sometime. I don't have any confidence at all at the
moment," he added. Swede
Per-Ulrik Johansson, seeking a hat-trick of European Open victories, was another
casualty of the cut. He finished six over par and failed to qualify by one shot.
English teenager
Justin Rose also failed to qualify, missing the cut by two strokes. He has not
qualified in any of the three tournaments he has played in since turning professional
after finishing joint fourth at last month's British Open. Langer,
shaking off a neck injury that forced him out of last week's U.S. PGA championship,
and Rivero overtook overnight leader Mathias Gronberg of Sweden, who lost the
lead but kept himself in contention with a round of 71 that left him in second
place, one stroke off the pace. Langer's
round included an eagle at the 568-yard par five 13th hole when he holed a bunker
shot. Americans
Craig Hainline and Gary Nicklaus were four under, two shots off the lead and threatening
the leaders. Nicklaus,
29, is Jack's son but has never done better than 14th position in seven years
as a professional. On
Friday, however, he was in glittering form at the course 20 miles south of Dublin,
firing six birdies in seven holes for a round of 66. Nicklaus
was two over par overnight and could have been sharing the lead but for a weak
finish. He bogeyed the 17th by three putting and then missed a six-foot birdie
putt at the last. Northern
Ireland's Darren Clarke, three under par in second place overnight, finished the
second round one under. Clarke
said after his round he was organising a pro-am tournament in Ireland next month
featuring Europe's Ryder Cup players that aimed to raise around 150,000 pounds
($244,800) for the victims of last Saturday's bombing in Omagh, Northern Ireland,
in which 28 people were killed. Scot
Raymond Russell, fourth at the Open Championship last month, never looks
at the scoreboards while playing and was well advised not to do so on Friday when
he had one of the worst days of his career. After
six bogeys, Russell recorded an improbable 12 as he shot into the River Liffey
four times on the par five seventh hole.
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