Harrington defies the elements

An abysmal autumnal day, with more than a hint of winter, left players wondering if they were coming or going in the Smurfit Irish PGA Championship at Powerscourt Golf Club yesterday. Initially, heavy rain forced the second round to be delayed by two and a half hours and, later on, a gale-force wind which had balls oscillating on greens caused a further disruption that lasted almost 55 minutes.

When the klaxon to suspend play for the day finally blared at dusk, the majority of players had still to finish their rounds (some having as many as 12 holes left), and they will be asked to recommence play at eight o'clock this morning.

Indeed, Irish PGA Secretary Michael McCumiskey has also decided to implement two-tee starts for the third round in an effort to ensure the championship will be decided over the full 72-holes. The weather could eventually determine whether or not that objective is met.

In all, 54 players - among them joint overnight leader Paul McGinley - failed to complete their second rounds, but Padraig Harrington who had bravely shrugged off a nightmare start to his second round, did not need to set his clock for an early alarm call. As play concluded and the cold players hauled themselves in off the course, Harrington had signed his card for a 73 for a two-round total of one under par 143, a shot clear of Wexford club professional Damien McGrane.

Conditions were extremely difficult, and it was a day for rolling up the sleeves and adopting a positive mental attitude. "It was tough, but you'd expect it to be in weather like that," said Harrington.

He managed to complete his round before the winds rose to the highest level and forced play to be halted due to balls moving on the greens. David Walker called a penalty on himself when his ball moved on the 18th green after he addressed it.

He started off double bogey, bogey, but covered the next six holes in par and then hit back with three successive birdies from his 10th, the first. He pitched a nine-iron approach dead at the first; splashed out of a bunker to four feet at the second, and then holed a 20-footer at the third.

His only blemish on the homeward journey came at the eighth, a hole which has caused more heartbreak than any other in the championship. Harrington hit driver, three iron and was still 30 yards short of the green, but pitched to five feet and missed the par putt.

"I can't complain," he admitted. "The start was about as bad as it gets, but at least I had another 52 holes to play and, although I was disappointed with my putting, I did hit some good shots out there."

Despite the inclement weather, some players managed to conquer the course. McGrane, a former Irish boys champion and two-time winner of the Irish Assistant Professional championship, made ground with a one-under-par 71 (a round equalled by Damien Mooney and Gary McNeill, the only other players to record sub-par rounds) to finish just a stroke behind clubhouse leader Harrington.

Indeed, the club professionals showed their mettle. Michael Bannon produced a solid 72 to finish alongisde David Walker on the two-over-par 146 mark, while Jimmy Heggarty was making considerable inroads out on the course. Starting at the 10th, the former European Tour player completed the outward journey in just 35 strokes and then birdied the first to get to level par for the championship.

Heggarty's performance in the wind wasn't typical, however, and McGinley paid a heavier price than most when play resumed in the evening after a delay of almost an hour. He suffered five bogeys in six holes and was three over par for the event when the klaxon blared to spare him any further misery.