Beneath the froth of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, there is an undercurrent of seriousness. Quite a serious kernel of seriousness, in fact. It is called the Order of Merit.

Winning the team prize at this event that pairs an amateur with a professional for 54 holes over three different courses (and maybe a fourth round as well) would be a pleasure for Padraig Harrington and J. P. McManus, his friend, partner and countryman. But it would not be novel. They have won it twice before.

Winning the Order of Merit, on the other hand, is a considerable prize. In this, Harrington’s year of years, in which he has won the Open and the US PGA Championship, he has an eye on regaining the Order of Merit title that he won for the first time in 2006 and then had it wrenched from him by Justin Rose in 2007. But to do so he has to fend off the challenges of Lee Westwood, whom he led by €228,217 (about £177,621) at the start of the week, and Robert Karlsson, whom he led by £277,168.

Yesterday was no day for the faint-hearted on the Old Course at St Andrews, where the wind was blowing at 25mph and the temperature rarely rose above the low 40s. When the wind-chill was factored in, it became a very cold day. Rose described it as a four-club wind, one that made him use a driver and a four-iron to reach the 380-yard 10th hole, which is often driveable for the professionals.

The struggle between Harrington, Westwood and Karlsson in the Order of Merit and the performance of Marcus Brier, the Austrian who leads the tournament at eight under par, were almost overshadowed by Anthony Bryan, an amateur of the old school if ever there was one. Bryan, 85, seemed to deal with the cold rather better than his playing partner, Gary Orr, 41, who described the day as just about the coldest he has experienced on a golf course.

Perhaps Bryan’s fortitude was down to the cold showers he endured when he was educated by the Benedictine monks at Ampleforth, Yorkshire, three quarters of a century ago, or the sorties he flew with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, or even the 4½ months he spent behind enemy lines working with the French Resistance. Once down to a handicap of one, he now plays off 15.

Westwood did himself no harm with a round of 70, two under par, made up of 16 pars and two birdies. Considering how strong the wind was over his outward nine holes, that was good golf. It moved him to six under par, level with Harrington, who recorded a 71, and one behind Karlsson, whose 70 was marked by four birdies and bogeys on the 8th and the 17th.

Harrington appeared this week with the beginnings of a beard. “It gives me another five minutes in bed in the morning,” he said on Thursday, rubbing the stubble as if it was a newfound friend. “But Carolyn is getting in tonight and she might think differently about it.” We can assume that she did not take to her husband’s new look from the fact that Harrington was clean-shaven yesterday.

That same day, Harrington had spoken well of the importance of the Order of Merit, saying that while he will be judged at the end of his career by the number of major championships he has won, the number of Order of Merit titles he had earned would be a close second.

The finishing line for the 2008 season in Europe is in sight. There are three tournaments in Spain and Portugal and then the top 60 players make their way to Valderrama for the end-of-season Volvo Masters, where the Order of Merit will be decided. With Harrington, Westwood and Karlsson so close to one another, it promises to be an interesting few weeks.

Leaders after two rounds

Great Britain and Ireland unless stated

St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns: 136: M Brier (Austria) 66, 70. 137: M Kaymer (Ger) 65, 72; S Hansen (Den) 64, 73; R Karlsson (Swe) 67, 70; R McIlroy 68, 69. 138: M Campbell (NZ) 68, 70; L Westwood 68, 70; P Harrington 67, 71; J-F Lima (Por) 67, 71; M Carlsson (Swe) 70, 68; J Sandelin (Swe) 66, 72; G Orr 66, 72; R Jacquelin (Fr) 68, 70. 139: D Howell 66, 73; M Warren 66, 73. 140: R Fisher 64, 76; T Aiken (SA) 66, 74; C Schwartzel (SA) 68, 72; T Jaidee (Thai) 69, 71; G Bourdy (Fr) 66, 74; J Donaldson 70, 70; P Hedblom (Swe) 69, 71. 141: G Fernández-Castaño (Sp) 68, 73; L Oosthuizen (SA) 70, 71; C Hoffman (US) 69, 72; M Murless (SA) 69, 72; Peter Lawrie 70, 71; T Levet (Fr) 67, 74. 142: P Casey 72, 70; A Da Silva (Br) 71, 71; R González (Arg) 70, 72; A Wall 66, 76; M Tunnicliff 68, 74; C Suneson (Sp) 69, 73; T Pilkadaris (Aus) 68, 74; A Quirós (Sp) 68, 74. 143: F Molinari (It) 68, 75; J M Lara (Sp) 68, 75; T Björn (Den) 70, 73; R Goosen (SA) 67, 76; G McDowell 68, 75; A McLardy (SA) 69, 74; M Fraser (Aus) 66, 77; F Andersson Hed (Swe) 69, 74; L Slattery 68, 75; G Houston 69, 74; A Cañizares (Sp) 70, 73; J Bickerton 71, 72. 144: H Stenson (Swe) 70, 74; F Aguilar (Chile) 68, 76; S Drummond 67, 77; P Price 71, 73; J Edfors (Swe) 68, 76; S Kapur (India) 72, 72; P Fowler (Aus) 68, 76; P Archer 67, 77; B Dredge 71, 73; M Ilonen (Fin) 68, 76.