Price leads the way as Lawrie bags new course record of 63
Phillip Price leads the Irish Legends presented by the Mcginley Foundation by three strokes but will have to hold off the final-day challenge of a host of proven winners at Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort.
The 2002 Ryder Cup player yesterday added a seven-under-par round of 64 to his opening 65 to reach 13-under-par after two rounds, three shots clear of two-time Legends Tour winner Paul Streeter in second place on 10 under par.
Price, who has two Legends Tour wins to his name, started with birdies at the second and fourth before his first dropped shot of the week arrived at the par-three seventh hole. He bounced back immediately, however, with back-to-back birdies before making the turn.
The 54-yearold made four further birdies on the back nine, including a closing birdie at the par five 18th hole to extend his lead and ensure he went into the final day in pole position.
Scotland’s Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open Champion, set a new course record on the Old Tom Morris Links thanks to a bogey-free eight-under-par round of 63 to join 2018 Ryder Cup Captain and 15-time European Tour winner Thomas Bjørn in a tie for third place on nine-under-par.
Price said: “I’m delighted with that. Yesterday, I played really nicely and you probably don’t expect to play quite as well today but I managed to shoot one better.
“I started quite well. I was determined that I need to be quite a lot under. It’s not a case of being a couple ahead of everybody else, I had a total of 12-under in my mind yesterday for the whole tournament and I’m going to need even more than that.
“Thomas and Paul are both four behind but I’m expecting
IRISH LEGENDS
at least one of those two to play quite well, so I’m just going to get my mind set on me playing well again and making it very difficult for them.
“If I shoot par then I think they’ve got a good chance. I think the goal for me is to get as far ahead as I can and not just hang on.”
Lawrie (inset, below) said: “That was nice today. It was quite an easy eight-under, if that’s possible, but I played nicely and hit the ball lovely. I didn’t make many putts, I was always around about the hole, so it was a good day.
“Yesterday I struggled off the tee, I really drove the ball poorly and round here, if you hit it in this rough, it’s quite severe, so one under was quite a decent effort with the way I drove the ball.
“Today was completely different, I can’t think of a fairway that I missed and I hit it nice so it was an easy day.
“That’s links golf for you. If you go out and shoot level par or oneover today, you’ve missed a trick. We knew it was going to be calm in the morning so, if we could, get in about it and get a few birdies made early and get a bit of momentum going.
“He’s clearly played very well, Phillip, 13-under for two days round here is extremely good golf so he’s obviously playing nicely. He needs to come back to us a little bit, four shots is quite a lot but you never know.”
Argentine José Coceres sits in fifth place on six under par, one shot clear of 18-time European Tour winner Mark James, three-time Legends Tour winner Gary Wolstenholme and Scotland’s Euan Mcintosh, who is competing in his maiden season on the over-50s circuit after earning his card at 2019 Qualifying School.