After being handed back the ball Harrington failed to get up and down and so bogeyed the hole, but the rest of the round brought him three birdies and a seven-foot eagle putt at the massive 610-yard 17th.

By parring the last for a 69 last year’s European Order of Merit winner was on six under par at halfway and only two behind Justin Rose, who added a 70 to his opening 66.

Joint overnight leader Paul Broadhurst was only just teeing off again, but a bogey on the third sent him back to five under. Lying second on seven under was Indian Shiv Kapur after seven holes.

The bonus Harrington has his sights on is on offer to the player winning the Irish Open and PGA title. Having beaten Bradley Dredge in a play-off at Adare Manor last Sunday he is, of course, the only man who can do it.

If successful it would mean almost £1.5million for two weeks’ work as first prize this weekend is almost £500,000.

It was an eventful start for Rose as well.

Just ahead of him Retief Goosen wanted to know if he had killed anybody with a horribly wild drive, but while everybody survived the struggling South African did indirectly harm Rose’s hopes of lifting the trophy.

Professional golfers are all about routine and having arrived on the first tee ready to resume on six under Rose was forced to wait 10 minutes because of Goosen.

Four over himself after an opening 76 the twice US Open champion double-bogeyed after hooking his opening drive so badly that it finished close to the first tee of the adjoining East Course.

Three free drops were needed before Goosen could continue – one away from a hospitality tent, the next off a path and then a third away from bushes – and it took so long that playing partner Colin Montgomerie decided he had waited long enough and hit his second shot out of turn.

Rose, though, simply had to stand on the tee and when the time did arrive to drive he hooked as well and, after also being given a free drop, bogeyed the hole to slip to five under.

The 26-year-old had four more bogeys during his round, but also produced seven birdies, including the last three holes after he had lost top spot to Kapur.

Paul Casey, winner of the World Match Play title on the course last September, was four under and that represented a superb recovery after he had run up a quadruple bogey nine on the 12th hole in his first round.

Colin Montgomerie, on the other hand, was in danger of missing the halfway cut along with Goosen.

Three-time winner Montgomerie resumed in contention still at two under, but double-bogeyed the eighth and when his back nine began with five bogeys and a birdie he stood four over.

He did finish with two birdies, but they were unlikely to be enough.

Vijay Singh was on the same mark with one to play, but a birdie four greatly boosted his chances of survival, while Goosen was definitely out on six over.