‘I need to raise my game to catch Goosen,’ says Harrington

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON knows he must raise his game to catch his nemesis Retief Goosen in the rain-delayed Malaysian Open.

European number one Goosen carded a second-round 64 at the Mines Resort to set the clubhouse target before the heavens opened in Kuala Lumpur and brought an early end to play.

Harrington, narrowly beaten by the South African to the Order of Merit title for the last two years, was hot on his heels after his second consecutive 66.

But the Irishman playing his first event of 2003 after an unprecedented nine-week break knows he will have to improve over the weekend to claim his first win in Malaysia after a run of fourth, third, second, second and 11th in his last five visits.

"I'm pleased with the score because I didn't play anywhere near as well as yesterday," said the Dubliner, who won his last two events of 2002 including beating Tiger Woods in the world number one's own tournament.

"I wasn't as good mentally maybe I had more expectations. I didn't swing it well, but to shoot five under on a day like that is very pleasing. I'm very pleased to be in contention in my first tournament back."

Harrington's only bogey of the day on the third was an example of what he felt was his poor mental approach.

"Over the ball I'm thinking too much," he added. "I'm standing over the ball after choosing the club and worrying about hitting it in the rubbish on the right or thinking about my swing as I would on the practice tee. It's not exactly flowing.

"I've got to have a better mental focus and swing it better. I have to up my game a little. I couldn't continue playing the way I am for the next 36 holes and expect to be there.

"But I would have taken two 66s at the start of the week I would have taken even higher. You're never really sure after a long break how things will go."

Goosen's 12-under halfway total of 130 gave him a one-shot clubhouse lead over Korea's Ted Oh, with Harrington and Thailand's Thammanoon Srirot a shot further back.

Overnight leader Arjun Atwal had moved one ahead of Goosen with four birdies in his first seven holes. But he was stopped in his tracks as the stifling humidity sparked off an electrical storm.

More than an hour of torrential rain thunder and lightning during which the television compound was struck left the course unplayable. Despite the best efforts of the greenkeepers, play was abandoned.

Lee Westwood had picked up one shot in five holes to lie six under, alongside Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley who had fired two birdies in seven holes.