BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Hale Irwin shot his age, and was so frustrated afterward he might switch putters before playing again.
Irwin shot a 5-under-par 66 Friday in the second round of the Senior PGA Championship. He trailed leaders Roger Chapman and John Cook by two strokes heading into the weekend, but Irwin wasn’t the least bit satisfied with his work on the greens.
“I know the greens are difficult, but some of the putts I missed today are not that difficult,” Irwin said. “So I’m a little discouraged with that to the point where I might even change to another putter that’s similar, but a different putter. I can’t putt any worse.”
Cook also had a 66 to match Chapman at 7 under after a more forgiving day at Harbor Shores. Chapman had a 67.
Michael Allen broke the course record with a 7-under 64, recovering from a first round 77. But Irwin was the focus afterward.
“When you can shoot your age in a major championship, they ought to give you bonus points,” Cook said. “Lift, clean and throw or something - for the rest of the week.”
Chapman, from England, led by a stroke after the first round and didn’t make a bogey Friday until the par-5 ninth, his final hole. Irwin also bogeyed No. 9. That was the lone blemish on Irwin’s scorecard, but he was disappointed he didn’t shoot a better score.
Irwin birdied four of his first six holes, starting on the back nine, and went on to add birdies on Nos. 2 and 5. Most of Irwin’s birdies came on short putts from about 5 feet and closer. The par-5 fifth was the exception.
“A long putt there - made one of about 12 feet,” Irwin said. “Really a big putt, in case you can’t see the cynicism in my comments.”
Irwin has won this major championship four times, although not since 2004. He was the 54-hole leader last year at Valhalla but finished fourth. He has won 45 times on the Champions Tour, more than any other golfer, but not since 2007.
Steve Pate (69) and Loren Roberts (67) were tied for fourth, two strokes behind Irwin. Joel Edwards (67) and David Frost (70) were another stroke back, and Allen was part of a larger group at 1 under.
Allen, the 2009 Senior PGA champion, is the Champions Tour’s money leader this year. No player has recovered from a first-round 77 to win this event, but Allen is at least back in the picture. He hit 17 greens in regulation Friday after reaching only seven in his first round.
“I didn’t get too overly dramatic about it, but I knew I had to play a good round today and I didn’t want to come out here and embarrass myself,” Allen said. “I love the challenge, like on the Tour, of playing a really hard course, and that’s what this is.”
Scores dropped by an average of nearly three strokes at the 6,822-yard course next to Lake Michigan.
“A lot cooler,” Chapman said. “It was very hot [Thursday] for us English boys. It was 88 or something I think yesterday.”
Sports, Pages 25 on 05/26/2012