GOLF DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP:THE 18th hole here at The Earth course is a curious beast, one you either love or hate. It measures a prohibitive par-five of 620 yards, with the challenge accentuated by a rocky creek which runs through the middle of the fairway and, finally, reaches its source at the back of the green.

Yesterday, when Pádraig Harrington strode onto the tee, he did so as leader of the tournament. A second round that had been ignited by a reaction to back-to-back bogeys at the fourth and fifth saw the Dubliner eagle the seventh (a hybrid from 221 yards to four feet), and then claim a further four birdies along the way to move into the lead on his own.

But the 18th proved a step too far, a real body-punch.

How Harrington ran up a double-bogey seven to finish was simple: a three-wood off the tee which pitched on the bank and rolled into the hazard, a penalty drop followed by a hybrid recovery up the left, which left him with 217 yards to the flag.

This time, the trusted hybrid was drawn into the wind but it missed the green left and, for a second time in one hole, plunged into the creek.

“I thought I was just going to be in the run-off area, I didn’t realise there was a hazard there at all,” remarked Harrington.

Still, he managed to get a favourable drop from the lateral hazard – equidistant from where the ball had found a watery grave and the flag – and he then two-putted, from off the green, for the double-bogey which dropped him from sole leader to tied-second.

Rather than leave a sour taste, Harrington claimed the setback would spur him on; just as it did in the 2008 British Open at Carnoustie, where he also double-bogeyed the closing hole before going on to claim his first of two claret jugs.

“I would see that as a very important trait, that when things get really bad you’ve got to be able to think clearly and knuckle down. The worse (things get), the more I dig in and the harder I try.”

He added: “My attitude is good this week and it is going to stay good for the next 36 holes. I’m going to stick with it and not worry about the odd mistake here and there.”

Of the fact that most of the spotlight has been on Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy and, to a degree, he has slipped in under the radar this week, Harrington admitted, “It’s easier under the radar, but I prefer to be the centre of attention. Obviously, you want to be the favourite in every tournament. That means you’ve done well the other weeks.”

This time, Harrington goes into the weekend aware of a barren statistic that has stayed with him all season: he hasn’t managed a win on tour. It’s a stat he wants to change.

“I’m quite happy, I’ve kept myself in the tournament.”

Now, if only he could get a handle on how to play the 18th.

Tee Times

3.50 am: E Els (Rsa), S Webster (Eng)

4.00: J Rose (Eng), P Hedblom (Swe)

4.10: J Kingston (Rsa), S Hansen (Den)

4.20: C Schwartzel (Rsa), D Willett (Eng)

4.30: G McDowell (NIre), I Poulter (Eng)

4.40: D Drysdale (Sco), L Donald (Eng)

4.50: N Fasth (Swe), C Wood (Eng)

5.00: A Quiros (Spa), T Jaidee (Tha)

5.10: R Fisher (Eng), D McGrane (Ire)

5.20: R Rock (Eng), G Storm (Eng)

5.35: R Jacquelin (Fra), G Fdez-Castano (Spa)

5.45: S Dyson (Eng), O Wilson (Eng)

5.55: R Sterne (Rsa), P Hanson (Swe)

6.05: J Donaldson (Wal), J Milkha Singh (Ind)

6.15: G Bourdy (Fra), A Wall (Eng)

6.25: H Stenson (Swe), M Kaymer (Ger)

6.35: T Levet (Fra), A Hansen (Den)

6.45: S Kjeldsen (Den), A Scott (Aus)

6.55: N Dougherty (Eng), B Dredge (Wal)

7.05: P Lawrie (Ire), R Goosen (Rsa)

7.20: G Maybin (NIre), M A Jimenez (Spa)

7.30: F Molinari (Ita), S Strange (Aus)

7.40: J Edfors (Swe), A Noren (Swe)

7.50: G Ogilvy (Aus), W-chong Liang (Chn)

8.00: T Aiken (Rsa), R Cabrera Bello (Spa)

8.10: S Garcia (Spa), R Allenby (Aus)

8.20: C Villegas (Col), P Harrington (Ire)

8.30: R McIlroy (NIre), L Oosthuizen (Rsa)

8.40: R McGowan (Eng), L Westwood (Eng).