Padraig Harrington took advantage of the far calmer conditions during the second day of the Benson and Hedges International Open with four birdies in his last seven holes at DeVere The Belfry to take the halfway lead.
The Ryder Cup player, first and second in Brazil recently, shot a 69 to be on the four-under-par halfway total of 140, one ahead of first round leader Phillip Price.
Price fired six birdies in his round but they were cancelled out by six dropped shots for a round of 72 to remain at three under par.
A shot further back is England’s Jonathan Lomas, runner-up behind Colin Montgomerie in the Novotel Perrier Open de France last week. Lomas shot a second successive round of 71, helped by birdies at the 16th and 17th.
1999 Masters Champion José Maria Olazábal and a past winner of the Benson and Hedges International Open shot a 68, the best round of the day at the Brabazon course to move into contention while Colin Montgomerie, the defending champion, also made a move after his opening 76, reaching the turn 35 and then birdied the first and seventh to stand one over.
