GOLF:As yer man King Lear might have put it, "Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks; rage! blow!" Yesterday's second round of the Irish Open was bedevilled by strong winds.

It bordered on golfing lunacy, requiring strong, focused minds of those who survived (and many didn't).

And yet, amid the potentially ruinous gales, Padraig Harrington performed a sublime rescue act with mesmerising shot-making that catapulted him to sole occupation of the halfway lead.

On what was definitely a tough, old day at this open-air office, the casualty list of those who failed to finish - sciatic nerves, sore wrists, bad backs, wounded pride, etc - reached more than half a dozen players.

Thankfully, the mature trees that abound on this magnificent estate by the river Maigue at least provided a degree of shelter to players and prevented balls from oscillating on the greens.

Harrington saved the day. Sure, he got the kinder side of the draw, but he made the most of it, ignoring winds that grew in intensity as the day progressed. His performance warmed the large gallery that followed his every move.

"It was a good day. I was in a good frame of mind, very much in the moment," remarked Harrington, who, as the world's number 12 is the highest-ranked player in the field. A second round, best-of-the-day 68 left the Dubliner perched atop the leaderboard on 141, three under, a stroke ahead of Simon Wakefield, Joakim Backstrom and Andres Romero.

At day's end, only seven players - and all from the same side of the draw - were in red figures.

Although tees were again moved forward, reducing the length of the course by 222 yards to 7,231, the severity of the test was reflected in the second round stroke average which came 76.5, and the cut came on 151, seven over.

Seven Irish players - Harrington (-3), David Higgins (+1), Gary Murphy (+2), Damien McGrane (+3), Graeme McDowell (+4), Paul McGinley (+4) and Pat Murray (+4) - not only survive, but occupy places in the top-35 heading into the weekend.

If Harrington felt the weight of expectations of a nation on his shoulders, he didn't show it. In fact, his 68 - the only score in the 60s - could have been even better, but for two missed short birdie putts coming in. Such is life.

"I was out there thinking, 'let's try and make birdie, where (on Thursday) I was thinking, 'let's make par'. It was a better frame of mind," he said of a round where he hit an extremely impressive 16 greens in regulation.

While many others laboured, Harrington - seeking to become the first Irish winner of the tournament since John O'Leary last achieved the feat in 1982 - was apparently immune to the wind's efforts to be a spoilsport.

"The wind doesn't bother me," claimed Harrington, who let his actions speak for themselves: five birdies and a lone bogey, caused by a three-putt on the 18th, his ninth of the round.

Having started his round on the 10th, Harrington was quickly into his stride. He birdied the 12th, getting up and down from a greenside trap; sank a 12-footer for another birdie on the 15th, and then watched his eight-iron tee-shot hit the flag on the 16th (where there is a prize of an Audi coupe for the first hole-in-one), before the ball came to rest three feet away. He made the putt.

The only blip in Harrington's round came on the 18th, where he took a five-wood off the tee for safety - having no intention of going for the green in two - but his third shot, with just a sandwedge in his hands, finished 45 feet from the hole and he three-putted, his fourth three-putt of the tournament.

But Harrington's response was to bounce back with a birdie on the first, holing from 15 feet, and then he hit an eight-iron tee-shot to the fourth and holed a 40-footer for his final birdie.

Good chances went a-begging on the seventh and ninth holes, but even those missed short putts couldn't blemish what was an outstanding round in the conditions.

As Harrington prospered, many struggled. Jeev Milkha Singh crashed to an 82 and overnight joint leader Simon Dyson struggled to a 78. That was 10 shots worse than his first round and left the former Walker Cup star on two over par, six off the lead.

Lee Westwood, seeking back-to-back victories after his win in Spain, dropped out of contention after a 77.

In Harrington's mind, the Irish Open is the fifth-most wanted title, behind the majors.

"It's my Open, my national championship. I want to win, yes," said Harrington, adding: "I'm getting used to the pressure (of attempting to win the Irish Open). I'm not going to go out thinking, 'I'm in the last group' and I'm not going to go out thinking, 'I'm in the Irish Open'.

"I'm going to go out there thinking I'm playing the game of golf to the best of my ability, and that's it. There's no point in adding extra pressure and it being the Irish Open."

He added: "The Irish Open means a lot to me, and that's why I'll be out there tomorrow and the next day in what will be a very important situation for me.

"But, in the greater scheme of things, I'll be trying to absolutely control my emotions and all of the possible distractions so that I am comfortable on the golf course.

"It's a great opportunity for me, and it's something I know I want to win very badly. But it would be a great achievement for me if I could go out over the next two days knowing I want to win it so badly and yet play and behave like it's a regular event and regular normal day out."

Certainly, Harrington, who came into this tournament as favourite, has justified that starting position.

However, the job has to be finished. In 2001 (at Fota Island) and again in 2004 (at Baltray), Harrington finished as runner-up. On those occasions, he was playing catch-up on the eventual winners - Colin Montgomerie and Brett Rumford - but, this time, he is the man in the driving seat.

He is in control of his destiny, and that's how he likes it most.