American Mark Calcavecchia (©Getty Images)Des Smyth missed the cut but Mark Calcavecchia’s bid to become only the fourth player to claim an Open Championship-Senior Open double continued at Walton Heath where he shares the halfway lead with his compatriot Lee Rinker and Canadian Rod Spittle on seven under par.

Former Zimbabwe great Mark McNulty (76 for level par), Denis O’Sullivan (74 for three over) and Eamonn Darcy (72 for four over) were the only Irishmen to make the last two rounds with Smyth missing out by a shot after a 74 left him on five over.

Eamonn Darcy and Des Smyth endured a tortuous day in the second round of the Senior Open at Sunningdale.

Smyth had surprised himself by shooting 66 in the first round but he could only manage a four over 74 on Friday that left him on level par, 11 strokes behind record-setting leader Fred Funk. But Darcy missed the cut despite a sensational start to his second round.

Eduardo Romero’s affinity for The Senior Open Championship continued as the Argentine took a share of the lead with America’s Bruce Vaughan at Royal Troon after the pair left Greg Norman in their wake.

South African John Bland looks set to shake off his Senior British Open hoodoo.

Three times a runner-up in the past four editions of the championship, the big man from Johannesburg looks to have the steely determination to win the title at last.