Padraig Harrington warms up for Rio by making cut in Connecticut

Padraig Harrington’s Olympic preparations will continue into the weekend after a second round 69 saw him make the cut at the Travelers Championship.

Shane Lowry’s week in Connecticut looked over however, after a 71 saw him slip back to level par and a shot outside the -1 needed to keep his tournament ambitions alive.

Harrington, who enjoyed a fine week at the US PGA Championship - where he finished tied for 13th - carded four birdies and three bogeys on Friday following his opening 70.

And it was the shots he picked up on the par five sixth and par four ninth - his 15th and final holes - which saw him creep under par and prolong his interest at TPC River Highlands.

The three-time Major winner struggled to get a run together in his opening nine, picking up a shot on 11 and then handing it back on 12, before doing the same on 13 and 14.

Having reached the turn on level par a bogey on the third, his 12th, left the Dubliner with work to do - but he did enough to ensure he will have two more rounds to play before his first round in Rio next Thursday.

Meanwhile Lowry found himself packing his bags on a Friday yet again despite making a bright start in his second round. The Offaly man reached the turn at one under, after Thursday’s level par 70, but unravelled on the back nine.

A bogey on the fifth - his 14th - was followed by a double bogey on the 15th, and despite taking one of those shots back on the seventh he couldn’t find the extra stroke needed to make the cut.

At the top of the leaderboard South Africa's Tyrone Van Aswegen shot a 66 to set a clubhouse lead of seven under par, and he was later joined by America's Daniel Berger, with Bubba Watson lurking four strokes back.

Elsewhere Michael Hoey was beaten 4&3 by England's James Morrison in the last-16 of the Paul Lawrie matchplay at Archerfield.