Piastri third as Dunne enjoys 'best day of my life'
World championship leader Oscar Piastri has been overshadowed by an in-form rival and a surprise package as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged.
McLaren's Australian driver had to settle for third place in first practice on Friday at Spielberg.
Britain's George Russell, who won from pole in Canada two weeks ago, retained the momentum in his Mercedes to set the time for the quickest lap of 1 minute 05.542 seconds.
But much of the talk centred on Alex Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who replaced Piastri's team-mate, Lando Norris.
He was fourth fastest and only 0.069 slower than Piastri, who was 0.155 off Russell's quickest lap.
Dunne, 19, the Formula Two leader, replaced Norris as part of the team's obligation to give track time to young drivers. Norris was due to resume his seat for second practice later in the day.
Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life.
"Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car."
World champion Max Verstappen, a five-time winner at Speilberg, was second at Red Bull's home grand prix.
Norris, who trails Piastri by 22 points after 10 of 24 races, will be back on track for the first time since he collided with his team-mate while challenging for fourth place in Canada.
Piastri finished the race in fourth but Norris could not cross the finish line, missing out on crucial points.
Another Formula Two driver behind the wheel was Dino Beganovic, who took over Charles Leclerc's Ferrari. But there was no dream ending for the Swede who placed 18th.
World championship leader Oscar Piastri has been overshadowed by an in-form rival and a surprise package as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged.
McLaren's Australian driver had to settle for third place in first practice on Friday at Spielberg.
Britain's George Russell, who won from pole in Canada two weeks ago, retained the momentum in his Mercedes to set the time for the quickest lap of 1 minute 05.542 seconds.
But much of the talk centred on Alex Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who replaced Piastri's team-mate, Lando Norris.
He was fourth fastest and only 0.069 slower than Piastri, who was 0.155 off Russell's quickest lap.
Dunne, 19, the Formula Two leader, replaced Norris as part of the team's obligation to give track time to young drivers. Norris was due to resume his seat for second practice later in the day.
Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life.
"Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car."
World champion Max Verstappen, a five-time winner at Speilberg, was second at Red Bull's home grand prix.
Norris, who trails Piastri by 22 points after 10 of 24 races, will be back on track for the first time since he collided with his team-mate while challenging for fourth place in Canada.
Piastri finished the race in fourth but Norris could not cross the finish line, missing out on crucial points.
Another Formula Two driver behind the wheel was Dino Beganovic, who took over Charles Leclerc's Ferrari. But there was no dream ending for the Swede who placed 18th.
World championship leader Oscar Piastri has been overshadowed by an in-form rival and a surprise package as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged.
McLaren's Australian driver had to settle for third place in first practice on Friday at Spielberg.
Britain's George Russell, who won from pole in Canada two weeks ago, retained the momentum in his Mercedes to set the time for the quickest lap of 1 minute 05.542 seconds.
But much of the talk centred on Alex Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who replaced Piastri's team-mate, Lando Norris.
He was fourth fastest and only 0.069 slower than Piastri, who was 0.155 off Russell's quickest lap.
Dunne, 19, the Formula Two leader, replaced Norris as part of the team's obligation to give track time to young drivers. Norris was due to resume his seat for second practice later in the day.
Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life.
"Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car."
World champion Max Verstappen, a five-time winner at Speilberg, was second at Red Bull's home grand prix.
Norris, who trails Piastri by 22 points after 10 of 24 races, will be back on track for the first time since he collided with his team-mate while challenging for fourth place in Canada.
Piastri finished the race in fourth but Norris could not cross the finish line, missing out on crucial points.
Another Formula Two driver behind the wheel was Dino Beganovic, who took over Charles Leclerc's Ferrari. But there was no dream ending for the Swede who placed 18th.
World championship leader Oscar Piastri has been overshadowed by an in-form rival and a surprise package as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged.
McLaren's Australian driver had to settle for third place in first practice on Friday at Spielberg.
Britain's George Russell, who won from pole in Canada two weeks ago, retained the momentum in his Mercedes to set the time for the quickest lap of 1 minute 05.542 seconds.
But much of the talk centred on Alex Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who replaced Piastri's team-mate, Lando Norris.
He was fourth fastest and only 0.069 slower than Piastri, who was 0.155 off Russell's quickest lap.
Dunne, 19, the Formula Two leader, replaced Norris as part of the team's obligation to give track time to young drivers. Norris was due to resume his seat for second practice later in the day.
Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life.
"Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car."
World champion Max Verstappen, a five-time winner at Speilberg, was second at Red Bull's home grand prix.
Norris, who trails Piastri by 22 points after 10 of 24 races, will be back on track for the first time since he collided with his team-mate while challenging for fourth place in Canada.
Piastri finished the race in fourth but Norris could not cross the finish line, missing out on crucial points.
Another Formula Two driver behind the wheel was Dino Beganovic, who took over Charles Leclerc's Ferrari. But there was no dream ending for the Swede who placed 18th.
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People can gamble, but there's grooming of kids," Rev Costello told AAP. "We now have, with the two-year implementation (delay), a whole generation of kids who only think of NRL and AFL in terms of odds." Gambling harms lead to suicides, one-in-four 18-to-24-year-old young men are addicted, 600,000 underage Australians gambled last year, and domestic violence spikes threefold if there is gambling in a family, Rev Costello said. "This industry has been treated as having a normal social license when it's actually pushing very addictive products," he said. "We have literally given our kids over to sports betting companies as fodder for their profits." Vested interests, including the AFL and NRL, sports betting companies, and the commercial broadcasting networks, had stalled reforms, Rev Costello said. The nation's peak body for doctors, the Australian Medical Association, is demanding the government immediately action all 31 recommendations, accusing it of exposing millions of Australians to predatory betting companies. "Every day of delay means more Australians fall victim to an industry that profits from harm and despair," AMA President Danielle McMullen said. Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron expressed deep disappointment in the government's failure to act on a bipartisan road map to tackle gambling harm."Two years on, the silence from Canberra is deafening," Rev Cameron said. "While the government hesitates, lives are being torn apart." The three say the government must use their parliamentary mandate to make systematic reforms, including banning gambling ads, implementing a national regulator and treating gambling as a health issue. A spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells said she has had several meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes. He said the government had delivered "some of the most significant gambling harm reduction measures in Australian history", pointing to mandatory ID verification and banning credit cards for online gambling and launching BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. Australians top the list for the world's highest gambling losses, placing $244.3 billion in bets every year. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 Australia risks losing a whole generation of kids to gambling, as criticisms are levelled at the government for failing to implement reforms from a landmark report two years on. The "You win some, you lose more" parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its impacts, chaired by fierce gambling reform advocate the late Peta Murphy MP, delivered 31 recommendations in 2023. The unanimously supported proposals focused on reducing harm, protecting children and applying a long-overdue public health approach to gambling in this country. But two years to the day, gambling reform advocates, health bodies and church groups say the federal government have been silent. More than 80 per cent of Australians want a gambling advertisement ban, and parents are sick of turning on the TV only to find their 10-year-olds discussing the game in terms of odds, Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello said. "Smoking is legal, but kids shouldn't be seeing it. Same with gambling. People can gamble, but there's grooming of kids," Rev Costello told AAP. "We now have, with the two-year implementation (delay), a whole generation of kids who only think of NRL and AFL in terms of odds." Gambling harms lead to suicides, one-in-four 18-to-24-year-old young men are addicted, 600,000 underage Australians gambled last year, and domestic violence spikes threefold if there is gambling in a family, Rev Costello said. "This industry has been treated as having a normal social license when it's actually pushing very addictive products," he said. "We have literally given our kids over to sports betting companies as fodder for their profits." Vested interests, including the AFL and NRL, sports betting companies, and the commercial broadcasting networks, had stalled reforms, Rev Costello said. The nation's peak body for doctors, the Australian Medical Association, is demanding the government immediately action all 31 recommendations, accusing it of exposing millions of Australians to predatory betting companies. "Every day of delay means more Australians fall victim to an industry that profits from harm and despair," AMA President Danielle McMullen said. Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron expressed deep disappointment in the government's failure to act on a bipartisan road map to tackle gambling harm."Two years on, the silence from Canberra is deafening," Rev Cameron said. "While the government hesitates, lives are being torn apart." The three say the government must use their parliamentary mandate to make systematic reforms, including banning gambling ads, implementing a national regulator and treating gambling as a health issue. A spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells said she has had several meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes. He said the government had delivered "some of the most significant gambling harm reduction measures in Australian history", pointing to mandatory ID verification and banning credit cards for online gambling and launching BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. Australians top the list for the world's highest gambling losses, placing $244.3 billion in bets every year. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 Australia risks losing a whole generation of kids to gambling, as criticisms are levelled at the government for failing to implement reforms from a landmark report two years on. The "You win some, you lose more" parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its impacts, chaired by fierce gambling reform advocate the late Peta Murphy MP, delivered 31 recommendations in 2023. The unanimously supported proposals focused on reducing harm, protecting children and applying a long-overdue public health approach to gambling in this country. But two years to the day, gambling reform advocates, health bodies and church groups say the federal government have been silent. More than 80 per cent of Australians want a gambling advertisement ban, and parents are sick of turning on the TV only to find their 10-year-olds discussing the game in terms of odds, Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello said. "Smoking is legal, but kids shouldn't be seeing it. Same with gambling. People can gamble, but there's grooming of kids," Rev Costello told AAP. "We now have, with the two-year implementation (delay), a whole generation of kids who only think of NRL and AFL in terms of odds." Gambling harms lead to suicides, one-in-four 18-to-24-year-old young men are addicted, 600,000 underage Australians gambled last year, and domestic violence spikes threefold if there is gambling in a family, Rev Costello said. "This industry has been treated as having a normal social license when it's actually pushing very addictive products," he said. "We have literally given our kids over to sports betting companies as fodder for their profits." Vested interests, including the AFL and NRL, sports betting companies, and the commercial broadcasting networks, had stalled reforms, Rev Costello said. The nation's peak body for doctors, the Australian Medical Association, is demanding the government immediately action all 31 recommendations, accusing it of exposing millions of Australians to predatory betting companies. "Every day of delay means more Australians fall victim to an industry that profits from harm and despair," AMA President Danielle McMullen said. Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron expressed deep disappointment in the government's failure to act on a bipartisan road map to tackle gambling harm."Two years on, the silence from Canberra is deafening," Rev Cameron said. "While the government hesitates, lives are being torn apart." The three say the government must use their parliamentary mandate to make systematic reforms, including banning gambling ads, implementing a national regulator and treating gambling as a health issue. A spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells said she has had several meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes. He said the government had delivered "some of the most significant gambling harm reduction measures in Australian history", pointing to mandatory ID verification and banning credit cards for online gambling and launching BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. Australians top the list for the world's highest gambling losses, placing $244.3 billion in bets every year. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 Australia risks losing a whole generation of kids to gambling, as criticisms are levelled at the government for failing to implement reforms from a landmark report two years on. The "You win some, you lose more" parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its impacts, chaired by fierce gambling reform advocate the late Peta Murphy MP, delivered 31 recommendations in 2023. The unanimously supported proposals focused on reducing harm, protecting children and applying a long-overdue public health approach to gambling in this country. But two years to the day, gambling reform advocates, health bodies and church groups say the federal government have been silent. More than 80 per cent of Australians want a gambling advertisement ban, and parents are sick of turning on the TV only to find their 10-year-olds discussing the game in terms of odds, Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello said. "Smoking is legal, but kids shouldn't be seeing it. Same with gambling. People can gamble, but there's grooming of kids," Rev Costello told AAP. "We now have, with the two-year implementation (delay), a whole generation of kids who only think of NRL and AFL in terms of odds." Gambling harms lead to suicides, one-in-four 18-to-24-year-old young men are addicted, 600,000 underage Australians gambled last year, and domestic violence spikes threefold if there is gambling in a family, Rev Costello said. "This industry has been treated as having a normal social license when it's actually pushing very addictive products," he said. "We have literally given our kids over to sports betting companies as fodder for their profits." Vested interests, including the AFL and NRL, sports betting companies, and the commercial broadcasting networks, had stalled reforms, Rev Costello said. The nation's peak body for doctors, the Australian Medical Association, is demanding the government immediately action all 31 recommendations, accusing it of exposing millions of Australians to predatory betting companies. "Every day of delay means more Australians fall victim to an industry that profits from harm and despair," AMA President Danielle McMullen said. Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron expressed deep disappointment in the government's failure to act on a bipartisan road map to tackle gambling harm."Two years on, the silence from Canberra is deafening," Rev Cameron said. "While the government hesitates, lives are being torn apart." The three say the government must use their parliamentary mandate to make systematic reforms, including banning gambling ads, implementing a national regulator and treating gambling as a health issue. A spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells said she has had several meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes. He said the government had delivered "some of the most significant gambling harm reduction measures in Australian history", pointing to mandatory ID verification and banning credit cards for online gambling and launching BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. Australians top the list for the world's highest gambling losses, placing $244.3 billion in bets every year. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Hensby hangs tough with power pairing in US Senior Open
Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink endured the ups and downs of the US Senior Open together for a second straight day and found themselves tied for the lead. The payoff - sharing the final tee time to kick off the weekend at the hilly, hard-to-read Broadmoor. Cink made up five shots over the final nine holes of his head-to-head pairing against Harrington, and the players headed into the weekend tied at six-under 134, along with the late-charging Mark Hensby. Cink shot 31 on the front nine, their second nine, to match Harrington's score on the back. Both players - the only two who average more than 300 yards driving on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions - called it a comfortable pairing, especially on a hilly course at altitude where gauging distance is anything but routine. "If anything, he'd be a little bit longer than me," Harrington said. "But I suppose I know his game enough that I can see what's happening, as well. He is definitely a partner I would choose to play with." Hensby shot his second straight round of three-under 67, finishing the day with his 14th and 15th birdies of the tournament. That included a 20-footer on No.8 that would have been from closer had his tee shot not hit Doug Barron's ball on the green. Hensby was nine-under par on the front nine and three over on the back after two days. "Making a lot of birdies, so that's a good thing around here," the Australian said. Three behind are Thomas Bjorn (69), followed by YE Yang (68) and Billy Andrade (69) at two under. At one under, Darren Clarke, Steve Flesch and Miguel Angel Jimenez rounded out the list of nine players heading into the weekend under par. Cink hit all 18 greens in regulation, making it 35 of 36 for the week. He called that stat overrated, especially at a course where the real test starts on the notoriously difficult-to-read greens that cant away from a monument lurking above the course on Cheyenne Mountain. "You don't want to be chipping downhill on this course, it's not a secret," said the 52-year-old Cink, the 2009 British Open champion who is playing in his first US Senior Open. Cink two-putted from 45 feet on No.9 for his fifth birdie on the front and a score of 66 - the best of the tournament so far. After Harrington shot 31 on the more difficult back nine, then kept the lead at five with a birdie on the par-5 third, he was thinking there might be an opportunity to open a big lead heading into the weekend. A pair of three-putts - one on the seventh and the other on the par-3 fourth green that has been slowed down to temper the severe slope - resulted in bogeys. But it ended well for the three-time major champion, whose wins came at the 2007 British Open and the '08 British and PGA Championship. Short-sided in a greenside bunker on No.9, Harrington made a 20-footer along the same line Cink had just putted for a birdie to head into the clubhouse in a tie. "I got a lovely read off Stewart. I don't think I would have given it as much break, so that was nice," said Harrington, who won the US Senior Open in 2022. "They're the breaks you get when things are going well." Australian Scott Hend (69) is tied 10th at even par, while Steven Alker and Stuart Appleby are a shot further back. Among those missing the cut were 12-time senior major champion Bernhard Langer, who shot 77, and Angel Cabrera, a two-time major winner this year, who shot 75. Both missed the number by three. Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink endured the ups and downs of the US Senior Open together for a second straight day and found themselves tied for the lead. The payoff - sharing the final tee time to kick off the weekend at the hilly, hard-to-read Broadmoor. Cink made up five shots over the final nine holes of his head-to-head pairing against Harrington, and the players headed into the weekend tied at six-under 134, along with the late-charging Mark Hensby. Cink shot 31 on the front nine, their second nine, to match Harrington's score on the back. Both players - the only two who average more than 300 yards driving on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions - called it a comfortable pairing, especially on a hilly course at altitude where gauging distance is anything but routine. "If anything, he'd be a little bit longer than me," Harrington said. "But I suppose I know his game enough that I can see what's happening, as well. He is definitely a partner I would choose to play with." Hensby shot his second straight round of three-under 67, finishing the day with his 14th and 15th birdies of the tournament. That included a 20-footer on No.8 that would have been from closer had his tee shot not hit Doug Barron's ball on the green. Hensby was nine-under par on the front nine and three over on the back after two days. "Making a lot of birdies, so that's a good thing around here," the Australian said. Three behind are Thomas Bjorn (69), followed by YE Yang (68) and Billy Andrade (69) at two under. At one under, Darren Clarke, Steve Flesch and Miguel Angel Jimenez rounded out the list of nine players heading into the weekend under par. Cink hit all 18 greens in regulation, making it 35 of 36 for the week. He called that stat overrated, especially at a course where the real test starts on the notoriously difficult-to-read greens that cant away from a monument lurking above the course on Cheyenne Mountain. "You don't want to be chipping downhill on this course, it's not a secret," said the 52-year-old Cink, the 2009 British Open champion who is playing in his first US Senior Open. Cink two-putted from 45 feet on No.9 for his fifth birdie on the front and a score of 66 - the best of the tournament so far. After Harrington shot 31 on the more difficult back nine, then kept the lead at five with a birdie on the par-5 third, he was thinking there might be an opportunity to open a big lead heading into the weekend. A pair of three-putts - one on the seventh and the other on the par-3 fourth green that has been slowed down to temper the severe slope - resulted in bogeys. But it ended well for the three-time major champion, whose wins came at the 2007 British Open and the '08 British and PGA Championship. Short-sided in a greenside bunker on No.9, Harrington made a 20-footer along the same line Cink had just putted for a birdie to head into the clubhouse in a tie. "I got a lovely read off Stewart. I don't think I would have given it as much break, so that was nice," said Harrington, who won the US Senior Open in 2022. "They're the breaks you get when things are going well." Australian Scott Hend (69) is tied 10th at even par, while Steven Alker and Stuart Appleby are a shot further back. Among those missing the cut were 12-time senior major champion Bernhard Langer, who shot 77, and Angel Cabrera, a two-time major winner this year, who shot 75. Both missed the number by three. Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink endured the ups and downs of the US Senior Open together for a second straight day and found themselves tied for the lead. The payoff - sharing the final tee time to kick off the weekend at the hilly, hard-to-read Broadmoor. Cink made up five shots over the final nine holes of his head-to-head pairing against Harrington, and the players headed into the weekend tied at six-under 134, along with the late-charging Mark Hensby. Cink shot 31 on the front nine, their second nine, to match Harrington's score on the back. Both players - the only two who average more than 300 yards driving on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions - called it a comfortable pairing, especially on a hilly course at altitude where gauging distance is anything but routine. "If anything, he'd be a little bit longer than me," Harrington said. "But I suppose I know his game enough that I can see what's happening, as well. He is definitely a partner I would choose to play with." Hensby shot his second straight round of three-under 67, finishing the day with his 14th and 15th birdies of the tournament. That included a 20-footer on No.8 that would have been from closer had his tee shot not hit Doug Barron's ball on the green. Hensby was nine-under par on the front nine and three over on the back after two days. "Making a lot of birdies, so that's a good thing around here," the Australian said. Three behind are Thomas Bjorn (69), followed by YE Yang (68) and Billy Andrade (69) at two under. At one under, Darren Clarke, Steve Flesch and Miguel Angel Jimenez rounded out the list of nine players heading into the weekend under par. Cink hit all 18 greens in regulation, making it 35 of 36 for the week. He called that stat overrated, especially at a course where the real test starts on the notoriously difficult-to-read greens that cant away from a monument lurking above the course on Cheyenne Mountain. "You don't want to be chipping downhill on this course, it's not a secret," said the 52-year-old Cink, the 2009 British Open champion who is playing in his first US Senior Open. Cink two-putted from 45 feet on No.9 for his fifth birdie on the front and a score of 66 - the best of the tournament so far. After Harrington shot 31 on the more difficult back nine, then kept the lead at five with a birdie on the par-5 third, he was thinking there might be an opportunity to open a big lead heading into the weekend. A pair of three-putts - one on the seventh and the other on the par-3 fourth green that has been slowed down to temper the severe slope - resulted in bogeys. But it ended well for the three-time major champion, whose wins came at the 2007 British Open and the '08 British and PGA Championship. Short-sided in a greenside bunker on No.9, Harrington made a 20-footer along the same line Cink had just putted for a birdie to head into the clubhouse in a tie. "I got a lovely read off Stewart. I don't think I would have given it as much break, so that was nice," said Harrington, who won the US Senior Open in 2022. "They're the breaks you get when things are going well." Australian Scott Hend (69) is tied 10th at even par, while Steven Alker and Stuart Appleby are a shot further back. Among those missing the cut were 12-time senior major champion Bernhard Langer, who shot 77, and Angel Cabrera, a two-time major winner this year, who shot 75. Both missed the number by three. Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink endured the ups and downs of the US Senior Open together for a second straight day and found themselves tied for the lead. The payoff - sharing the final tee time to kick off the weekend at the hilly, hard-to-read Broadmoor. Cink made up five shots over the final nine holes of his head-to-head pairing against Harrington, and the players headed into the weekend tied at six-under 134, along with the late-charging Mark Hensby. Cink shot 31 on the front nine, their second nine, to match Harrington's score on the back. Both players - the only two who average more than 300 yards driving on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions - called it a comfortable pairing, especially on a hilly course at altitude where gauging distance is anything but routine. "If anything, he'd be a little bit longer than me," Harrington said. "But I suppose I know his game enough that I can see what's happening, as well. He is definitely a partner I would choose to play with." Hensby shot his second straight round of three-under 67, finishing the day with his 14th and 15th birdies of the tournament. That included a 20-footer on No.8 that would have been from closer had his tee shot not hit Doug Barron's ball on the green. Hensby was nine-under par on the front nine and three over on the back after two days. "Making a lot of birdies, so that's a good thing around here," the Australian said. Three behind are Thomas Bjorn (69), followed by YE Yang (68) and Billy Andrade (69) at two under. At one under, Darren Clarke, Steve Flesch and Miguel Angel Jimenez rounded out the list of nine players heading into the weekend under par. Cink hit all 18 greens in regulation, making it 35 of 36 for the week. He called that stat overrated, especially at a course where the real test starts on the notoriously difficult-to-read greens that cant away from a monument lurking above the course on Cheyenne Mountain. "You don't want to be chipping downhill on this course, it's not a secret," said the 52-year-old Cink, the 2009 British Open champion who is playing in his first US Senior Open. Cink two-putted from 45 feet on No.9 for his fifth birdie on the front and a score of 66 - the best of the tournament so far. After Harrington shot 31 on the more difficult back nine, then kept the lead at five with a birdie on the par-5 third, he was thinking there might be an opportunity to open a big lead heading into the weekend. A pair of three-putts - one on the seventh and the other on the par-3 fourth green that has been slowed down to temper the severe slope - resulted in bogeys. But it ended well for the three-time major champion, whose wins came at the 2007 British Open and the '08 British and PGA Championship. Short-sided in a greenside bunker on No.9, Harrington made a 20-footer along the same line Cink had just putted for a birdie to head into the clubhouse in a tie. "I got a lovely read off Stewart. I don't think I would have given it as much break, so that was nice," said Harrington, who won the US Senior Open in 2022. "They're the breaks you get when things are going well." Australian Scott Hend (69) is tied 10th at even par, while Steven Alker and Stuart Appleby are a shot further back. Among those missing the cut were 12-time senior major champion Bernhard Langer, who shot 77, and Angel Cabrera, a two-time major winner this year, who shot 75. Both missed the number by three.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Knapp breaks record, Aussie Endycott in the PGA mix
Jake Knapp has pulled off a feat no one else has in PGA Tour history. Knapp shot an 11-under 61 on Friday to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day and became the first on the tour to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season. But that still wasn't enough to put him in the top six, entering the weekend at Detroit Golf Club. Chris Kirk (65), Philip Knowles (64) and Andrew Putnam (66) share the second-round lead at 14 under. Jackson Suber (65) was another shot back. Aldrich Potgieter, who had a 70 after sharing the 18-hole lead with Kevin Roy after a record-setting 62, was two strokes back with Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Mark Hubbard (69). Knapp was in a large pack of players, including Australian Harrison Endycott (66), Collin Morikawa (64), Hideki Matsuyama (66) and Roy (71), three shots off the lead going into the third round. Endycott followed his opening 67 with a bogey-free six-under 66. The 29-year-old Sydneysider made three birdies on each nine, including going back-to-back on 13 and 14. The 31-year-old Knapp, who won the Mexico Open last year as a rookie, started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round. "I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit," he said. Knapp, ranked No.99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season. He shot a 59 - one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 - at the Cognizant Classic four months ago, when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and tying for sixth. Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Potgieter and Roy both shot a 62. "I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more," Knapp said. "I was even kind of thinking about 59 when I stuck it close on my third to last hole." The 28-year-old Knowles, shooting for his first PGA Tour win, made the cut for just the third time in 11 events after failing to make it to the weekend at five straight tournaments. "It's not been my best year thus far by any stretch of the imagination, but golf is funny," he said. "When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again. And when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf." Min Woo Lee, the first to break the course record with a 63 on Thursday, made 73 on Friday to tumble down the field to tied 36th. He made the six-under cut by two, but Aaron Baddeley (71,73), Cam Davis (74, 70) and Karl Vilips (71,74) will all miss the weekend action. Jake Knapp has pulled off a feat no one else has in PGA Tour history. Knapp shot an 11-under 61 on Friday to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day and became the first on the tour to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season. But that still wasn't enough to put him in the top six, entering the weekend at Detroit Golf Club. Chris Kirk (65), Philip Knowles (64) and Andrew Putnam (66) share the second-round lead at 14 under. Jackson Suber (65) was another shot back. Aldrich Potgieter, who had a 70 after sharing the 18-hole lead with Kevin Roy after a record-setting 62, was two strokes back with Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Mark Hubbard (69). Knapp was in a large pack of players, including Australian Harrison Endycott (66), Collin Morikawa (64), Hideki Matsuyama (66) and Roy (71), three shots off the lead going into the third round. Endycott followed his opening 67 with a bogey-free six-under 66. The 29-year-old Sydneysider made three birdies on each nine, including going back-to-back on 13 and 14. The 31-year-old Knapp, who won the Mexico Open last year as a rookie, started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round. "I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit," he said. Knapp, ranked No.99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season. He shot a 59 - one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 - at the Cognizant Classic four months ago, when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and tying for sixth. Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Potgieter and Roy both shot a 62. "I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more," Knapp said. "I was even kind of thinking about 59 when I stuck it close on my third to last hole." The 28-year-old Knowles, shooting for his first PGA Tour win, made the cut for just the third time in 11 events after failing to make it to the weekend at five straight tournaments. "It's not been my best year thus far by any stretch of the imagination, but golf is funny," he said. "When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again. And when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf." Min Woo Lee, the first to break the course record with a 63 on Thursday, made 73 on Friday to tumble down the field to tied 36th. He made the six-under cut by two, but Aaron Baddeley (71,73), Cam Davis (74, 70) and Karl Vilips (71,74) will all miss the weekend action. Jake Knapp has pulled off a feat no one else has in PGA Tour history. Knapp shot an 11-under 61 on Friday to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day and became the first on the tour to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season. But that still wasn't enough to put him in the top six, entering the weekend at Detroit Golf Club. Chris Kirk (65), Philip Knowles (64) and Andrew Putnam (66) share the second-round lead at 14 under. Jackson Suber (65) was another shot back. Aldrich Potgieter, who had a 70 after sharing the 18-hole lead with Kevin Roy after a record-setting 62, was two strokes back with Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Mark Hubbard (69). Knapp was in a large pack of players, including Australian Harrison Endycott (66), Collin Morikawa (64), Hideki Matsuyama (66) and Roy (71), three shots off the lead going into the third round. Endycott followed his opening 67 with a bogey-free six-under 66. The 29-year-old Sydneysider made three birdies on each nine, including going back-to-back on 13 and 14. The 31-year-old Knapp, who won the Mexico Open last year as a rookie, started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round. "I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit," he said. Knapp, ranked No.99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season. He shot a 59 - one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 - at the Cognizant Classic four months ago, when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and tying for sixth. Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Potgieter and Roy both shot a 62. "I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more," Knapp said. "I was even kind of thinking about 59 when I stuck it close on my third to last hole." The 28-year-old Knowles, shooting for his first PGA Tour win, made the cut for just the third time in 11 events after failing to make it to the weekend at five straight tournaments. "It's not been my best year thus far by any stretch of the imagination, but golf is funny," he said. "When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again. And when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf." Min Woo Lee, the first to break the course record with a 63 on Thursday, made 73 on Friday to tumble down the field to tied 36th. He made the six-under cut by two, but Aaron Baddeley (71,73), Cam Davis (74, 70) and Karl Vilips (71,74) will all miss the weekend action. Jake Knapp has pulled off a feat no one else has in PGA Tour history. Knapp shot an 11-under 61 on Friday to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day and became the first on the tour to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season. But that still wasn't enough to put him in the top six, entering the weekend at Detroit Golf Club. Chris Kirk (65), Philip Knowles (64) and Andrew Putnam (66) share the second-round lead at 14 under. Jackson Suber (65) was another shot back. Aldrich Potgieter, who had a 70 after sharing the 18-hole lead with Kevin Roy after a record-setting 62, was two strokes back with Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Mark Hubbard (69). Knapp was in a large pack of players, including Australian Harrison Endycott (66), Collin Morikawa (64), Hideki Matsuyama (66) and Roy (71), three shots off the lead going into the third round. Endycott followed his opening 67 with a bogey-free six-under 66. The 29-year-old Sydneysider made three birdies on each nine, including going back-to-back on 13 and 14. The 31-year-old Knapp, who won the Mexico Open last year as a rookie, started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round. "I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit," he said. Knapp, ranked No.99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season. He shot a 59 - one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 - at the Cognizant Classic four months ago, when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and tying for sixth. Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Potgieter and Roy both shot a 62. "I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more," Knapp said. "I was even kind of thinking about 59 when I stuck it close on my third to last hole." The 28-year-old Knowles, shooting for his first PGA Tour win, made the cut for just the third time in 11 events after failing to make it to the weekend at five straight tournaments. "It's not been my best year thus far by any stretch of the imagination, but golf is funny," he said. "When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again. And when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf." Min Woo Lee, the first to break the course record with a 63 on Thursday, made 73 on Friday to tumble down the field to tied 36th. He made the six-under cut by two, but Aaron Baddeley (71,73), Cam Davis (74, 70) and Karl Vilips (71,74) will all miss the weekend action.
