Padraig on target for $1m payday

BARRING a late disaster, Padraig Harrington was on course to land a $1m payday as he maintained a four shot lead over Tiger Woods in the Target World Challenge at Thousand Oaks in California.

Harrington carded two birdies over the first eight holes of the Sherwood Country Club to stay on 21 under par, four ahead of Woods who had shot four birdies to bring the Irishman slightly closer with a potentially troublesome back nine looming.

But it was on Saturday that the Irishman did most of the work to fashion this victory, when he shot three eagles and nearly made another en route to a course record nine under par 63 and a six-stroke lead.

Closest pursuer to Harrington is Tiger Woods, the tournament host and second round leader who settled for a 70 on Saturday. He has a 54 hole total of 13 under 203.

And he was not giving up as he tried to niggle away at Harrington's lead.

"If I can realistically narrow the gap, with the three par fives on the back nine, anything can happen," Woods said before the round.

But just about everything happened to Harrington on Saturday. The Irishman played the five par fives in eight under, eagling 2, 5 and 11 before birdieing 13 and 16. He finished the day at 19 under 197.

"Usually, that is not my sort of form," said Harrington, who had three eagles, five birdies and two bogeys Saturday. "Unlike everybody else, I believe that everybody else chips in and makes all the eagles and holes out. But that's not me."

Yes, it is.

Harrington's eagle run began at the second hole, where he rolled in a 10 foot putt. He then holed a wedge from 70 yards at the fifth after getting into trouble off the tee.

After playing the next five holes even, Harrington hit the pin with a three iron approach at the 11th and tapped in for eagle. He then lipped out a 25 foot eagle putt at the 13th. Harrington then birdied the 14th, where his five wood approach rolled just past the hole. By that time, his caddie had seen enough.

"My caddie looked at me and said, 'What's a guy got to do to make an albatross around here,'" Harrington recalled.

Harrington added birdies at the 16th and 17th as he began to pull away from the elite 16 player field. If he collects the $1 million top prize he may have the best round of his life to thank.

"Maybe if I win the tournament," said Harrington, who was second on the European Tour's Order of Merit in 2002. "I will put it down as the best round. At the moment it is not."

Woods would beg to differ. He watched in amazement as Harrington hit the hole and flags from just about everywhere on the course. The world's top ranked player had seven birdies and five bogeys Saturday.