Harrington to face the real test of his nerves

PADRAIG HARRINGTON gained a double first in Madrid yesterday where a second round 64 sent him careering to a three stroke halfway lead in the Peugeot Spanish Open.

The 24 year old rookie professional from Stackstown surveys the field from a 10 under par total of 134 after compiling eight birdies in his best score since he turned professional. He is eight strokes ahead of defending champion Seve Ballesteros.

Harrington's nearest challengers are Australian Peter O'Malley, Scot Gordon Brand Jnr, Welshman Marcus Wills and Norwegian Per Haugsrud.

Eamon Darcy, with a solid 70 which featured two birdies in the last three holes, is at six under par alongside leading Spaniard Pedro Linhart.

Everything has gone superbly for Harrington since he took 16th place at the Tour School last November. He has won over £40,000 in his opening eight events on the PGA European Tour, improving his status to third among the graduates following the recent "re rank" after the Italian Open.

Now he is contemplating even higher honours. At stake this weekend is a first title worth 91,000, although the Irishman insists it has not yet come into his reckoning.

"I came here with the target of just trying to get another top 10 place and qualify for the Benson & Hedges next week," he said. "I am not thinking any further than that."

Harrington had only 25 putts yesterday on the soft, uneven greens that have perplexed so many of his rivals during the first 36 holes, 11 of them in an outward half notable for his determined scrambling.

He birdied the second from k2 feet, and collected the birdie fours on offer at the fifth and seventh. But it was the save he made from 20 feet at the sixth after being in trees and a bunker that maintained his momentum.

On three other occasions he holed from around five feet to save par after wayward approaches.

In contrast, his inward 31 was an exhibition of competent play, the highlights being his two drivers to the hearth of the 537 yard 14th and his eight iron tee shot to the 17th which finished only 10 inches from the cup. His other birdies came at the 10th, 12th an 15th.

Harrington was asked at his press conference if he was aware that a £10,000 car was on offer for an ace at the 17th.

"Well, there was one standing by the tee box, so I put two and two together," he smiled.

He hopes his mathematics are spot on again today when he sets out in the final match with fellow Tour School graduate, Wills.

"I have done the easy bit, now the hard work starts," he added. Harrington was in a similarly challenging position in Cannes last month where he began 68-65, but then shot 72-74 to slip to eighth.

"Although those weekend scores look bad, I was delighted with the way I handled myself," he added. "I learned how to keep things together when bad shots came in. This time I think I will know how to cope if I don't make silly mistakes, and that is all I can ask."

Darren Clarke was the only other Irish qualifier, a birdie at the ninth his 18th getting him through on the exact cut off mark of level par.

Clarke had 70, and looked to be cruising when he holed from 25 feet for an eagle three at the fourth. But a double bogey at the sixth, where he was in sand and three putted, put him in jeopardy until his late reprieve.

Des Smyth also birdied the ninth but it was not enough to save him, his 71 landing him on 145. Jimmy Heggarty (75-147), David Higgins (73-147) and Francis Howley (77-148) also made an early journey home.