Iskandar Johor Open 2010: Padraig Harrington leads into the final round
The Ryder Cup has instilled a lot of grit and determination in a player who has gone without a win for the last 2 years. Padraig Harrington entered the final round of the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia with a lead of five strokes.
The three-time Major winner stayed on top of the leader board despite suffering from a neck injury. He picked up five birdies against one bogey in a round of 68 at the scenic Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club, surprising all and sundry present on the occasion.
Harrington submitted a superb round, which was his best performance in the last two years. He was closely followed by Lin Wen-tang. The Taiwanese was five strokes behind after carding a round of 72 in the event carrying a purse of $1.25 million.
One shot behind Lin Wen-tang was Singapore’s Mardan Mamat. He compiled a score of 11 under after carding a 70. He was joined by first-round leaders Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Noh Seung-Yul.
Although Harrington was pleased with his game, but his neck injury kept on disturbing him. The press was informed about the situation after they were curious to know the reason behind his drained face despite playing an excellent game.
He said, "I hit three tentative putts on the last three greens. I tried not to do that all day but to be honest I nearly pulled out before the start of the round. I had a problem with my neck and if I wasn't leading the tournament I definitely would have
pulled out. But I got a lot of breaks early on because I couldn't really hit the ball at all for a good while, three-quarter shots all the way, and thankfully I did get a lot of breaks and if anything it eased a little bit on 16 and I didn't finish very well."
As for Lin, who is a five-time winner on the Asian Tour, things started really well. With pleasant weather conditions persisting on the course, Lin birdied the first hole to match the score with Harrington, but the 39-year-old Irish gave an instant response
and fired a birdie to remain in the lead. Lin finished the round with three birdies and three bogeys.
According to media reports, he missed too many putts in a bid to hit more birdies. The putting was fair, but the ball seemed to resist the hole, which turned out to be a fatigue for the player.
Similar concerns were expressed by the Taiwanese, who said, “Everything was OK. Putting good but it didn't go in on five holes. When the putts don't go in, you feel tired," said Lin, who added he had "maybe a chance tomorrow."
The Ryder Cup winner laid three successive birdies in the closing holes to vault his lead in the coming round. Since the 2008 PGA Championship, Pod has not witnessed a proud moment. However, this time round, chances are that he will break through his dry
period.
As for Colin Montgomerie, he too drafted a wonderful round of 68. After a gap of 45 weeks, Monty finally decided to play in a competitive golf event. Earlier, he made an appearance at the Dunhill Links Championship, but could not secure a strong position.
However, he is at par with defending champion K.J. Choi at a score of seven-under-par.
Monty has decided to play in the next Ryder Cup. He realized this during his stay at Celtic Manor where the Ryder Cup was in progress a fortnight ago.
Padraig Harrington has reached the final round of the Iskandar Johor Open and will be wrapping up on Sunday. However, what happens then and who wins the trophy is a question that can be answered after the round drifts into its final moments. For more news
on this championship, stay tuned to Bettor.com.
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