PADRAIG HARRINGTON has a European Tour victory in his sights for the second time in three weeks alter 0 to within two strokes of the Dimension Data Pro-Am lead yesterday in Sun City.

However, his prospects of maintaining his challenge this time - unlike in the Perth Classic where he faded at the end, and with that his potential to move from 14th in the Ryder Cup table to a top-10 spot - are brighter. In fact, he told his mother so.

The young Stackstown player often tends to play down his chances, but after his opening 70 on the tough Gary Player course, host to the annual Million Dollar Challenge, the 1996 Spanish Open champion gave his mother Breda an optimistic answer when she inquired how he was playing.

And yesterday he was even more confident after adding a splendid six-under-par 66 at the Lost City course, finished off after a long break because of lightning danger, moments before the siren went for another suspension which eventually caused play to be curtailed.

The 66 took Harrington to eight under par and to within two strokes of the joint leaders, South African Dunhill Cup stalwart David Frost, taking a break from the US Tour, and Australian outsider John Wade, who was third at European Tour qualifying school last year.

Currently one in front of Harrington is the player who pipped him for Europe's Rookie of the Year award last year, Thomas Bjorn of Denmark. He played only nine holes before play was called off at twilight, to resume at dawn today.

"It's the first time I've really felt confident this year," confided Harrington. "Even when I shot my 63 in Perth there was a lot of room for improvement, but I do feel I'm playing much better now. When my mother phoned me yesterday, as usual she asked me how I was playing. I stalled a little bit, because I normally say `not bad'. But this time I told her I was playing well."

Much of Harrington's improvement has come on the tricky greens at both Sun City courses and he handled them particularly well on Thursday afternoon at the Gary Player course after they had spiked up very badly having had myriad amateur feet scuff them up in the pro-am format.

One of the reasons for Harrington's improvement has to do with a couple of gadgets he is using in practice - a "stabiliser" device which shines a tiny beam of light down from his cap on to his ball to ensure he is lining up correctly and a putter with a whippy curtain-wire shaft which does not work if the wrists break.

Harrington's putter was not the only weapon to take him to another tournament title challenge, however. He gave a fine display of iron play. He was out in 32, four-under, with three short-iron shots to under six feet and two putts on the long 18th green, his ninth hole.

Then he birdied the two long holes coming in, one with two putts, the other with a peach of a pitch to a foot.

While it was a day of delight for Harrington, it will almost certainly prove one of dismay for Darren Clarke, who is also seeking Ryder Cup points. He mounted a brave rearguard action to try to salvage his week after his opening 77, but will probably miss the cut by a stroke after a gritty 68 at Lost City for one-over-par.

Clarke, too, watched in dismay as a near pitch-in screwed out of the cup late on to deny him the birdie which would have got him into the final two rounds.

"My 77' at the Gary Player course did the damage," said Clarke, "and particularly the bogey I took on the last on Thursday night."

Raymond Burns did his damage by three-putting the Lost City last with his long putter yesterday, also missing out by one shot with a 70. He had bravely hit back from five-over-par after nine holes. John McHenry was in the same boat after a 71, but David Higgins had a 76 for five-over.

Paul McGinley has a chance to make progress this morning from four-under-par after six holes, while Des Smyth hopes to stay level-par and make the cut with 12 holes to come. Eamonn Darcy will have to battle, though, after slipping to one-over for the tournament after nine.

His task, however, is not as great as Seve Ballesteros's. Despite have a better time of it to be level-par after nine, the Ryder Cup captain is still 10-over-par.