PADRAIG HARRINGTON SHOT a seven-under-par 64 to remain just one shot off the lead at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix, Arizona.
Harrington trails New Zealand’s Steven Alker by a single stroke and sits alone in second place entering the weekend’s play, two shots clear of Brian Gay and Retief Goosen.
Chasing a fourth victory of the season on the over-50s circuit, the Dubliner needs to win the season-ending tournament to have any hope of overtaking Alker to win the $1 million Charles Schwab Cup bonus, the overall prize for the Champions Tour.
The Charles Schwab Cup Championship is a 72-hole event on the Tour Champions, with the only other tournaments contested over 72 holes instead of 54 being the five majors.
In a brilliant second round, Harrington birdied four of his first five holes before further birdies at 10, 12, 17, and 18 kept him breathing down the neck of Kiwi Alker. His sole blemish, a bogey, came on 15. On the par-five last, his birdie was about a foot short of being an eagle which would have given him a share of the lead.
Alker, also 51 years old, equally shot a 64 and remains bogey-free for the tournament. He will win the Schwab Cup with a top-five finish.
