A TROUBLESOME wind blew up at Hope Island, Queensland yesterday and caused confusion on what could be judged as the cut-off mark in round two of the Johnnie Walker Classic.

While it perplexed Padraig Harrington it also produced a determined streak from him. Thinking he might be out of contention for the weekend, the Spanish Open champion produced a grandstand finish of two birdies that hauled him back to level-par and left him only eight off the lead held by New Zealander Michael Long.

Birdies on the 17th and 18th took Harrington to a one-over-par 73. He is one shot ahead of Darren Clarke, who had to fight hard to get back on course after early double-bogeys. Clarke also posted 73 for a one-over round.

For Paul McGinley, though, it will be a quiet weekend. Like Harrington, McGinley misjudged the cut-off, went for a risky shot on his last hole and perished, double-bogeying to miss the cut by two with a 75 for four over. Ronan Rafferty is also out after slipping to seven over par with a 75, his putting stroke letting him down all day. Raymond Burns was one worse than that after a 77.

It could very easily have gone wrong for Harrington as the wind played havoc late in his round. However when he came to the 17th needing a birdie to instil confidence, he got it. His six-iron went through the green but he produced a delightful pitch back for birdie. On the last, he was still unsure what the cut would be, so he turned on a little magic, cutting up a brilliant sand iron shot into the wind to stop his ball only a foot from the flag. His tap-in birdie made his day.

Clarke charged back with four birdies to cancel out his two early double-bogeys and can now add to his Ryder Cup points haul this weekend.

However, at the moment all seems lost for McGinley. He looked safe when lying one-under with only seven holes to go. But a double-bogey on the third, when he plugged in a bunker, set the nerves jangling.

When he three-putted the short eighth, his 17th, he thought he needed something extra at the last and tried to get into a better position with a three wood second shot. He topped his ball and found a bunker and a seven on the par-five meant an early exit. "I misjudged the cut," said McGinley. "My own fault. There just had to be a bunker in the way, too. It's a terrible start to the year."