GOLF:Kerching! Whether he likes it or not, Padraig Harrington can't ignore the sound of the cash register. Yesterday, on greens at Wentworth that traditionally have confused him more than the columns in a financial ledger, the Dubliner - a qualified accountant before embarking on life as a tour professional - shot a second successive round of 69 for 138, six under, to stay on target for potentially the biggest payday in professional golf.

While the BMW PGA Championship, the flagship of the European Tour, has a €725,000 first prize in its own right, the extra financial incentive for Harrington - who trails joint midway leaders Justin Rose and Angel Cabrera by two strokes heading into the final two rounds - is that, as winner of last week's Irish Open, he is in line for a €1-million bonus, underwritten by the financier Dermot Desmond, should he go on to win here on a course that used to cause him such consternation he refused to play in the tournament in 2003 and 2004.

Indeed, if Harrington had his way, he'd rip up all 18 of the poa annua putting surfaces and replace them with the new USGA greens that are found on just about every other championship course.

"This golf course tee-to-green is great and, with its heritage and its history, it has the potential to be the number one (parkland) course in Europe. It could compete with Valderrama . . . (but) there isn't a player out there who doesn't know what I think about the greens," said Harrington.

So, despite such misgivings about the greens, the fact of the matter is that Harrington - alone - is playing for a top prize of €1.7 million over the weekend. It's sufficient inducement to keep his mind off the mental and physical tiredness a prolonged period on the road, combined with last week's historic win on home soil at Adare Manor, have caused him.

"I'm hoping to stay in contention and I'm sure if I'm in this sort of position with nine holes to go (on Sunday) I'll have plenty of adrenaline to keep me going," he said.

On the back of the €416,660 cheque he pocketed for winning the Irish Open last week, along with the sums available here, Harrington stands to scoop over €2.1 million for his two weeks' work should he go on to become the first Irishman since Harry Bradshaw in 1958 to claim this old title.

"A million euro is a million euro in any man's language," said Harrington of the bonus. "Normally, the prize funds we play for are great, but we try to distance ourselves from them . . . obviously, I can't distance myself from the bonus. It is evident all the way through."

Harrington's second round matched the outlandish with the sublime. On the first hole, his second shot was pulled so badly it finished up in the backpack of a spectator and we had the peculiar spectacle of the ball being removed and handed to Harrington.

He failed to get up and down after taking a drop, however. But that was one of only two bogeys last year's Order of Merit champion incurred, as he compiled a round that also featured three birdies and an eagle.

The eagle was the highlight of the round. It came on the par-five 17th hole, where, after a huge drive, he hit an approach shot of 260 yards to the flag with his rescue club.

From the time the ball left the clubface, Harrington believed it was potentially brilliant. But the muted applause from greenside made him wonder if it had somehow run through the green. He didn't have to worry. The ball was resting six feet from the hole, and he calmly sank the putt.

"It was a hard crowd to please down there," he later remarked. "But that was certainly the high point of the day and keeps me well in the tournament."

Harrington is very much at the business end of the tournament as it turns for home. Although the Dubliner has 18 wins worldwide - 11 of them on the European Tour - since turning professional, he has never managed to win back-to-back events. As he explained: "It's always hard to back up one win with another. I think the key here is that I'm still in the tournament.

"The better I do, the more likely there is going to be some adrenaline and if there's more adrenaline, then the more likely I'll stay focused.

"If at any stage I was going south and scoring wasn't happening, then I could go quite a long way. By staying in contention in the tournament, it keeps you focused. There's no doubt about that."

Harrington is one of three Irish players to survive the cut. Paul McGinley is on 143, Peter Lawrie on 145. McGinley recorded birdies on his final three holes. Lawrie had a bogey-free back nine that included three birdies in signing for a 69.

It proved another frustrating day, however, for Darren Clarke, who has not played into the weekend of a strokeplay tournament since the Malaysian Open in February.

Yesterday, he shot a second-round 76, which left him on 148, four over.

Wentworth

Leaderboard

136 (8 under)

Justin Rose (Eng) 66 70, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 70 66

137 (7 under)

Ross Fisher (Eng) 70 67, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 67, 70

138 (6 under)

Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 70 68, Padraig Harrington 69 69, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 67 71, Matthew Millar (Aus) 69 69, Paul Broadhurst (Eng) 66 72