Padraig Harrington takes a two stroke lead into the weekend of the Players Championship after a second round 68 at the TPC at Sawgrass took him to nine under par 135.
He goes into the weekend two ahead of defending champion Craig Perks, former winner Davis Love and Skip Kendall.
After completing an opening round 67 following delays on the first day, the Irishman returned to the course 40 minutes later to continue where he left off. He bogeyed the tenth, but then repeated his birdies at the 11th, 13th and 15th. The last of those came when he sank a 25 yard bunker shot and he very nearly pitched in for eagle on the next. It spun back over the hole to five feet and in that went to take him into the outright lead.
With no cause to rest on his laurels at that point, he got down in two from just off the green at the long second for yet another birdie and then birdied the 466 yard fifth as well from the fairway bunker.
"The scoring was good, but as the day progressed I got wilder and wilder," said Harrington. "I need to play better at the weekend, that's for sure.
"I can't ask for more than to be leading and I should be happy, but it depends how you judge it.
"Unfortunately there are another 36 holes to go and a lot of work to be done. You can't ever feel comfortable on this course and I don't think any lead is safe."
Adam Scott is three shots off the pace after two round of 69 and Darren Clarke was going well too at five under with two to go, but then bogeyed the short 17th and, ignoring the chance to stop because of bad light, three
putted the last for another bogey.
