Harrington comes into picture with a

brilliant 62 in Portugal Masters

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Padraig Harrington reacted to one record being equalled by matching one of his own on today.
The three-time major winner was faced with the daunting prospect of making up 12 shots after Italian Francesco Molinari added a morning 66 to his opening 63 at the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura.
Fifteen under par at halfway equalled the lowest total of the European Tour season, but despite the wind picking up just as he resumed Harrington reduced his deficit to only two with a spectacular 62.
The 38-year-old Dubliner even had a putt on the last to lower his all-time best round on the circuit, but on his own admission mishit it from 18 feet.
========================
More Related Golf News Links
Davies shares top spot
McIlroy not set for American switch
Liang and Martin share lead
Duo hold lead
=========================
Nobody has ever managed a 59 in Europe.
From joint 32nd place overnight - his first thought was to make sure he made the cut - Harrington goes into the weekend in third spot.
Such has been the birdie barrage so far, though, that there was a chance Molinari would not even stay out in front on his own.
He was joined later when South African Charl Schwartzel had a hat-trick of birdies from the 15th, but then came a closing bogey for a second successive 65.
Molinari has an extra reason for wanting to shine this week - to open the gap again between himself and his older brother on the world rankings.
Edoardo, US Amateur champion in 2005, is top of the second tier Challenge Tour and has improved to 112th. Francesco is currently 70th.

+SCROLL DOWN TO SEE ALL THE SCORES, INCLUDING THE NON-QUALIFIERS.

Note from Editor Colin Farquharson.
I am on holiday on the sunny Algarve - it's been touching the 90 degree mark all week - not really reporting on the Portugal Masters. But full marks to all the European Tour players who made the day for a couple of Scottish youngsters by freely giving their autographs, golf balls and even a golf glove today.
The signatures were asked for, politely, the golf balls and golf glove were not - but the players offered them to the boys who didn't say "No."
It was the pair's first-ever day at a European Tour event and they think these golfers are great.
We hear so much about sportsmen who are big-headed and have lost touch with their roots but here we had an instance of European Tour players acting as splendid ambassadors for the game.
So thanks very much to, among others, Messrs Zanotti, Rose, Kingston, Montgomerie, Levet, Clarke, Bjorn, Curtis, Harrington, Karlsson, Jimenez, Quiros, Fisher, Dyson, McGinley.

Colin Farquharson