Padraig Harrington survives the weekend cut

Double Open champion Padraig Harrington looks unlikely to make it a hat-trick of Claret Jugs this weekend. But at least he’s somehow survived the cut and will be teeing it up over the weekend after all.

The Dubliner, winner at Carnoustie and Birkdale, is struggling at +6 and faced an agonising wait to see if he survives the cut. And he wasn’t too hopeful, saying: “It was a disappointing day. I played quite nicely on the way out and didn’t make enough going from in there.

“Obviously I struggled with my finish which is disappointing – dropping four shots in the last five holes is never much fun.

“I have a chance and I think +5 will be ok. Plus six means I’m going to have to sit here all day and wait to the last man sort of thing.” As it turned out late last night, he made it by two shots with the cut mark being +8.

Harrington has no excuses, refusing to blame the course or conditions.”The conditions were a lot easier today. I don’t know if the course is playing easier, but the greens are obviously a lot slower, and holding a lot more. And it wasn’t as fiery.

“Yesterday was the first game of golf I’ve probably ever played in my entire life that I didn’t have one single putt. So I played great yesterday, but today was disappointing. I just didn’t make the right choices at times to be honest after playing well yesterday and it’s a pity.”

But definitely in the weekend shake-up is Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke who hasn’t been in the best of form of late but the 2011 champion again delivered the Open goods, shooting a level par 71 (+1) which ensures he’ll be on weekend duty.