Harrington hopes for pluck of the Irish

Harrington took a one-shot lead into Saturday's third round after a superb 68 at a windswept Adare Manor on Friday gave him a halfway total of 141, three under par.

And the 35-year-old Dubliner, looking to become the first Irish winner since John O'Leary in 1982, made the perfect start with a birdie on the first to double his lead over playing partner Simon Wakefield.

Wakefield hit straight back with a birdie on the second but promptly bogeyed the next to leave Harrington two clear of the field.

On such a testing course it was never going to be plain sailing, however, and the lead quickly changed hands with a three-shot swing in the space of two holes.

Harrington bogeyed the sixth after missing the green and dropped another shot at the next, despite donning his waterproofs to play a shot from the edge of the water which runs the length of the hole.

And when Wakefield birdied the seventh the 33-year-old from Staffordshire suddenly led by one on three under par.

The momentum shifted once again just a few minutes later, Harrington holing from 15 feet or par on the 10th as Wakefield's par attempt caught the edge of the hole and spun out.

And when Wakefield suffered the same fate again on the 11th and 12th, while Harrington birdied the par-five 12th, the Irishman was two in front once more.

Wales' Bradley Dredge had set the clubhouse target on one under par after a 69 which included three birdies in the last four holes.