Harrington still on form
Ireland’s Padraig Harrington was today continuing his excellent late-season form in the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.
Harrington won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October and clinched his first Order of Merit title with second place in the Volvo Masters at Valderrama.
The Dubliner was also sixth in the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, before beating world number one Tiger Woods in a play-off in the Dunlop Phoenix event in Japan earlier this month.
The 35-year-old showed no signs of slowing down as the moved into the lead in the early stages of the 12-man event at Sun City.
After a bogey on the third cancelled out a birdie on the previous hole, Harrington birdied the fourth and then rolled in a hat-trick of birdies from the seventh to reach the turn in 32.
At four under par, he was two shots ahead of Ryder Cup team-mate David Howell - with Colin Montgomerie, Henrik Stenson, Retief Goosen, Chris DiMarco and Jim Furyk all a shot further back.
Montgomerie bogeyed the third but hit back with birdies at the seventh and ninth to be out in 35.
Sergio Garcia was level par after four holes, with local favourite Trevor Immelman bringing up the rear on one over after seven.
