IF IT seems unusual that a man who traditionally starts his golfing year slowly and has played only three strokeplay tournaments this season should be leading The Players Championship, then the answer might be that this year’s is an unusual event.

Missing Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson and with Tiger Woods, who had been so dominant only one week earlier, muted and indeed struggling for much of the time, Padraig Harrington has taken the lead in the $6.3 million (about £4 million) event here at the Tournament Players Club. Even he seemed surprised. “I am very much a work in progress,” he said, smiling. “Pleased but surprised.”

A glorious sun burst out over the Sunshine State that had been shrouded in mist since Wednesday and as it did so it heated up Harrington’s golf. He played 26 holes on a day that for him started at 7.30 in an eerie, clammy mist and, at the end of it, he was two strokes clear of the best field in golf this year.

The Players Championship is not a major and talk of it becoming so is premature and unnecessary. It is, however, a good event to be leading and, from mid-afternoon, Harrington was able to bask in the sun with a broad smile on his face and the glory of a round of 68 to go with his 67. Davis Love III and Craig Perks, the defending champion, were two strokes behind Harrington. Darren Clarke dropped shots on the final two holes as he rushed to beat darkness and thus found himself a disappointing six strokes behind Harrington.

“Nine under par round here is good going,” Nick Faldo said. “There is no room for error. ” Faldo, whose putting was much improved, modestly failed to point out that a 68 took him well clear of the dreaded halfway cut, which is more than could be said for Colin Montgomerie. The Scot had a 72 for a 36-hole total of 145 and, since he had played early in the day, he had a few anxious hours after he had finished until he knew his fate.

A fourth missed cut in the five events he has played in the United States would have been a hard load to bear, but Montgomerie knew the problem. He said it is not the clubs to which he has changed, it is his putting. “I am averaging 33 putts and that is far too many. I need to do something about it,” he said.

The Stadium course, one of the best-maintained in the US, is not one that treats kindly those who are at anything less than their best. Harrington needed some luck on the 18th at the end of his first round, when his ball ended just short of the water that lines the left-hand side of the fairway. He holed a 25-yard bunker shot on the 15th, too.

Woods was struggling with his game and the demanding golf course, and was no better than level par, nine strokes behind Harrington, as he turned for home in his second round.

Justin Rose experienced the sort of up-and-down round that comes to those who are not on top form. He started the day at level par with few thoughts other than to make sure he survived through to the weekend. When he had eagled the second and birdied the 4th and 5th he was suddenly four under par and only three men were ahead of him.

Then the course got him and he dropped two of those hard-won strokes for a 71 and a halfway total of 143, one under par. “I’m happy,” Rose said. “That was a good round squandered.”

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