Harrington turns up the heat

Padraig Harrington was today stepping up his bid for a second double triumph in four years in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Harrington won the title in 2002 following a play-off with Eduardo Romero and also took the team prize with amateur partner JP McManus.

The Dubliner went into today‘s third round three shots behind halfway leader Bradley Dredge in the individual event and sharing the lead in the team competition with McManus, and quickly improved both positions this morning.

After pars at the first two holes Harrington birdied the third to move to 10 under par, while McManus also contributed a birdie to move them two clear in the team event.

A run of three pars took Harrington to the turn in 34 before a birdie on the 10th moved him to within a shot of the lead, and four clear in the team contest.

Welshman Dredge, unlike most of the leaders playing at Kingsbarns today, had picked up one birdie in his first six holes to lie 13 under par.

Despite his second round 69 at St Andrews taking almost six hours on Friday, Harrington feels being part of a team is actually helping his game.

“The last time I won in 2002 we won the team event as well and it’s definitely better for your individual golf to be part of a team,” said Harrington, who surprisingly won just half a point in Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph at the K Club.

“I lost a bit of patience in the middle of my round but I focused more on the team score and that gave me a lift.”

Harrington is among the players still in with a chance of winning the Order of Merit title despite trailing current leader Paul Casey by almost half a million pounds.

The first prize this week is £427,000 and £450,000 at the season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama, and Harrington could yet decide to enter the Mallorca Classic in a fortnight – which Casey is not playing – to boost his chances.

Casey was seven under par at halfway after driving out of bounds on the 18th at St Andrews in his round of 74, and remained on that score after seven holes.

His closest rival on the money list, Ryder Cup team-mate David Howell, looked certain to miss the cut at four over par with just nine holes remaining.

The pro-am event sees each of the 168 professionals teamed up with an amateur partner.

The teams play one round at each of the courses over the first three days before the top 60 professionals and those tied for 60th place, together with the top 20 teams, compete in tomorrow‘s final round at St Andrews.

Harrington dropped his first shot of the day on the 11th but bounced back with a birdie on the 12th to remain right on Dredge's heels.

The leading duo were threatening to pull away from the pack with Edfors dropping back to nine under alongside South African Charl Schwartzel.

Ernie Els and Vijay Singh were a shot further back on eight under, five behind Dredge.