Harrington & Russell in the chase

Padraig Harrington knows all about the pressure of trying to make the Ryder Cup. And he could be about to experience it again.

The 27-year-old Irishman lies joint second at the halfway stage of the Fiat and Fila Italian Open in Turin.

While first day leader Mats Lanner crashed from a 62 to a 77 and from three clear to seven behind, Harrington added a 66 to his opening 68.

On the 10 under par mark of 134 the Dubliner lies alongside Cambridge's Russell Claydon and two behind his playing partner on the first two days, little-known Spaniard Francisco Cea. If he wins on Sunday he could jump from 27th to seventh in the cup standings.

Harrington just lost out to Jose Maria Olazabal in the battle for the final automatic place in Europe's 1997 side, but at the halfway stage in this year's race he had to be told his position to know it.

"Two years ago I would have known exactly where I was," he said. "Now I have no interest at all. The simple fact is that I know I have to win before I have to think about it.

"You're not going to get the required points by finishing 20th in each event. You have to win first. I haven't looked at the table once.

"Two years ago it was in my face more, but I've been concentrating more on how I'm swinging the club.

"I am trying to improve the maintenance. If I get a grooved swing that means I need less time practising my long game.

"I've always had to work hard at keeping all the different components going. By the end I hope I'll have an improved swing with less moving parts."

Chasing a title worth almost £120,000 Harrington turned in 34 and then had four successive birdies from the 13th.

"I've never had three successive days when I've hit my irons so consistently well (he also shot 66 in the pro-am playing with Italian Grand Prix driver Riccardo Patrese), but I was getting frustrated because for the first 12 holes I couldn't hole a putt. Then it just changed around."

Cea had already moved clear by then, however. Round in 67 in the first round, the 25-year-old from Malaga had a hat-trick of birdies from the second and another from the 11th.

The 25-year-old from Malaga beat Europe's newest professional Sergio Garcia in the final of the 1995 Spanish amateur championship - Garcia was 15 at the time - but this is the first time he has led in four years on the circuit.

After three missed cuts in a row Claydon was delighted to maintain his bid for a second tour title with a 68. He finished with two birdies - the first of them when he drove onto a divot, but hit a seven-iron to 12 feet.

Masters champion Olazabal (69) and US Open champion Lee Janzen (68) are both on four under, eight adrift of Cea, but Scots Gary Orr and Dean Robertson are only three behind in joint fourth place, both matching the leader's 65.

Seve Ballesteros had not made a cut all year until last week's Spanish Open, but did it again on three under after a 71.

Lanner still led after playing his first seven holes in one under, but then had six bogeys and the Swede admitted: "My confidence all went and towards the end I was just trying to hang on."

Among those who missed the cut were Harrington's 1997 World Cup-winning partner Paul McGinley, who was joint runner-up in Barcelona on Sunday, Order of Merit leader David Howell (by one after losing a ball on the 15th and running up a double bogey seven) and, for the fifth time in six starts this year, Sam Torrance.