ROTHERHAM GOLF CLUB'S Danny Willett, whose European Tour debut as an amateur two months ago began with an eagle, made the cut in his first professional event by chipping in at the last for another at The Wales Open yesterday.
But Open champion Padraig Harrington crashed out of Celtic Manor when a second round 74 sent him to his first missed cut on European soil since October 2006.
As Harrington went to hand in his scorecard he had a glance at the player being interview
ed for television and it was a fair bet he knew as little about him as the watching crowd.
Scott Strange, a 31-year-old from Perth ranked 164th in the world, is the man the rest have to try to catch after marvellous rounds of 63 and 66 on the newly unwrapped lay-out where Europe and America will do Ryder Cup battle in two years' time.
At 13 under par he leads the race for the £300,000 winner's cheque by four from English pair Benn Barham and Robert Dinwiddie, Spain's Alvaro Velasco and Indian Jeev Milkha Singh.
Two wins on the Asian Tour have been the highlight of Strange's professional career so far, but in his first full season as a European Tour member he has already finished joint runner-up at the Johnnie Walker Classic in India.
"I'd love to win on every tour and to win here would be fantastic," he said.
"Playing in Asia is different to here, but I'm adapting quite well."
Harrington liked what he saw on first view, but come the tournament he was never able to produce anything like the form that brought him his first major title at Carnoustie last July.
That remains his last victory, but he is staying upbeat about the US Open the week after next.
After bowing out on two over, a massive 15 strokes behind Strange, the Dubliner said he still felt good about Torrey Pines, adding: "It's actually been quite a positive week.
"It's an interesting game this - I could play a lot worse and make the cut."
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