Padraig Harrington has faced down the worst the Royal County Down golf course could throw at him and has come out in one piece... just about.
The Dubliner is close to rediscovering the same form that won him three Major trophies and got him back in the winners' enclosure, at the Honda Classic, earlier this year.
Starting his second round, at the Irish Open, in a tie for the lead [-4], Harrington carded six consecutive pars.
His first birdie came on his seventh hole [the 16th as he teed off on nine]. He immediately followed that up with another birdie.
He hit the turn in 34 strokes and picked up another shot on his 10th hole. He briefly stood at -7 before a bogey, double bogey and bogey - on his 11th, 12th and 13th holes - brought him back to -3, one behind Germany's Max Kieffer.
Harrington then birdied his 16th hole to move into a share of the lead, before giving the shot back on the next. He bogeyed the last, too, to card a 73 and finish on -2.
The news was not so good for Shane Lowry, who busted his putter early in the day and was forced to put with a wedge.
Has Lowry never seen Tin Cup? Seven iron, your only man.
