Golf: Long hitters strike disaster

It's a case of precision over power. Luke Donald shot another round of 68 at the BMW PGA Championship yesterday as he attempts to win for the first time in four years.

The redesigned Wentworth course is suiting the game's precise iron players while some of the longer hitters, like Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, are struggling to make the cut.

Westwood had a disastrous triple bogey seven on the 15th hole and after failing to birdie either of the finishing par fives was in danger of having the weekend off.

McIlroy's birdie on the 17th contributed to a round of 69, matched by Justin Rose, and both just scraped through.

Donald is very complimentary about the changes Ernie Els has made to Wentworth.

"I am happy with the changes. Overall I think he did a great job. Hopefully I can get myself in position Sunday. It's time to break through again."

It's more than time. You have to go back to the 2006 Honda Classic to find Donald's last full tournament victory. He did miss the best part of a season with a wrist injury in the intervening years, but it is still nothing like good enough for a player of Donald's ability.

The 32-year-old Englishman has two previous top 10s in five appearances at the PGA Championship and has never missed the cut at Wentworth. It is a place he has played well enough in the past, but he is even more suited to the course following the changes that Els has made.

In previous years there was always the threat that one of the big hitters, an Angel Cabrera or a Paul Casey, could finish with a couple of eagles and take the championship away from the likes of Donald. But since the changes there is far more emphasis on wedge play up the final two holes.

Many have criticised the changes to the 18th hole in particular, but Donald says: "I quite like it. I'm not a bomber. It's a very hard hole to take on in two shots. If anything Ernie could have levelled out the fairway [at driving distance], but I like it. The penalty for missing is pretty severe, but it's a par five, so maybe that should be the case."

Meanwhile, New Zealanders Danny Lee and Mark Brown were handed a late round reprieve when the pair officially made the cut.

It seemed likely the New Zealand ensign would be lowered in the tour's flagship event when the duo ended their rounds near lunch with similar three over par totals and well outside the leading 65 players to qualify for the final two rounds.

However, some indifferent scoring from the afternoon half of the draw on the Surrey course saw the pair actually improve their standing by about a dozen spots to end the day tied in 65th place.

Lee nose-dived from his share of seventh place at the start of his second round in carding a six-over par 77. In contrast to Friday's superb display of just 24 putts, the 19-year old Rotorua golfer had 34 putts on day two.

Lee was lying at two under par with six holes to play in the €4.5 million ($8.38 million) tournament but then proceeded to drop five strokes, including a double bogey at the par four 13th and then ending with back-to-back bogeys. He had just two one-putts in his round but also 16 two-putts.

"I was hitting the ball good and just as good as Thursday but every putt I hit just missed," he said."I thought I was playing pretty good today until the 13th where I hooked my 4-iron into the rubbish and the trees on the left side and took a double.

"I thought I read the greens very good today and I thought I put a good stroke on the putts but they just didn't go in. I tried my best and I am really happy about the way I am playing."

Brown, meanwhile, looked a picture of despair after handing in his scorecard of a 73 for a similar three over par tally. The Aucklander produced a disappointing finish after having fought his way to two under par through 12 holes.

However the former Johnnie Walker Classic champion then proceeded to drop shots at the 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th holes before dropping two shots at the final hole.

Brown played a sensible lay-up second shot on the par five 18th, but hit a poor chip that cannoned into the bank of the green and rolled into the small stream guarding the putting surface.

He found the green with his fifth shot and needed to hole a 4m bogey putt to have any chance of making the cut.

Brown was then observed sitting alone on a TV interview dais outside the scorer's hut for some minutes, no doubt reflecting on his effort before finally making his way to the clubhouse.

- AGENCIES