Harrington storms ahead

There was more good news for Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam when Padraig Harrington took the lead in the Madrid Masters today.

Five under par and three behind Frenchman Jean-Francois Lucquin overnight, the Dubliner birdied three of his first four holes in the second round.

He was one ahead of Lucquin and also England’s Gary Evans, while cup teammates Darren Clarke and Jose Maria Olazabal were among the later starters. Clarke stood four under and joint 12th, while the Spaniard was in a tie for 50th on one under.

Harrington, who two weeks ago lost a play-off to team-mate Henrik Stenson for the BMW International Open in Munich, was out in a five-under 31.

But his lead was only one as Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano played his first 10 holes in seven under and France’s Raphael Jacquelin improved to nine under as well.