PADRAIG HARRINGTON failed to recover from the shock of losing his ball from his second drive of the second round and took a 10-shot tumble in the Peugeot Spanish Open in Madrid yesterday.

Harrington, who had opened his title defence with a scintillating 66 at La Moraleja, will start today's third round on two-under-par 42, seven shots behind halfway leader Mark James.

James (43), without a win for two years, and now the respected chairman of Europe's Tournament Players Committee has had a new lease of life since purchasing a Ping putter for £50 in the Emirates club shop in Dubai eight weeks ago. He used it only 28 times in scoring 68 for a nine-under 135. He holds a two-stroke lead over Lee Westwood, Roger Chapman and Dane Thomas Bjorn.

David Higgins is the leading Irish contender for this weekend's £91,660 top award after a second 70 for four-under, and Paul McGinley, who battled hard for a second 72 was the only other to survive the cut.

For superstars Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros and Jose-Maria Olazabal, it was a day of mixed fortunes. The Australian remained on course for the high finish he needs to return to the top of the world rankings with a 70 to be well placed at five-under-par.

Ballesteros and his British caddie, Martin Gray, parted company following a disagreement at the sixth hole, their 15th, while Olazabal scored the fifth ace of his career at the 17th, where one of the sponsor's family cars was on offer to the first player to achieve a hole in one there.

But Olazabal was four hours too late to drive away with the spoils: they went to rival Spaniard Jose Rozadilla who had holed out with a six-iron, but still missed the cut by a wide margin.

Ballesteros, whose last win was in this event two years ago, "had words" with his bagman after driving into the lake at the sixth for the second day running. "He has been disappointed at the way I have been playing and he did not have much energy on the golf course," said Seve.

"We both think it is better we part, and we both said the same thing at the same time."

Gray, from Worksop, was criticised by Ballesteros in Dubai earlier this season for handing him an apple that was soft.

"What does he want? A caddie or a greengrocer, Gray asked at the time.

Since Peter Coleman left him to start his long-term relationship with Bernhard Langer, Ballesteros has had a string of caddies, mostly British, One of them, Joe Jones from Liverpool, is currently suing him for breach of contract after surviving for only five weeks after replacing Yorkshire's Billy Foster, who held the post for two years.

Seve's 16-year-old nephew Raul, a two handicap golfer at school in England, will shoulder his bag for the remaining 36 holes.

Harrington had high hopes of setting a daunting target when he set out from the 10th in early morning drizzle. After opening with a par four, he aimed down the left hand side of the 11th fairway hoping to bring the green at the par five within range of two woods.

But his ball kicked into the rough, no one saw it, and despite a desperate search it was not located. A double bogey seven was the result, and though he birdied the 14th by pitching within inches of the flag, further mistakes at the 15th and 16th cost him dearly.

"Losing that ball set me back on my heels," he admitted. "I was struggling all the way after that and I began to force things."

Higgins began in similar vein, three-putting the first green, and going into a bunker at the fourth to fall back to level par. But then he remembered the advice of his brother, Brian, to keep his swing "connected", and concentrate on keeping his hands close to his body. The Waterville youngster had four birdies in a row from the fifth, three times hitting wedges less than a foot from the flag, and chipping in from 10 yards at the short seventh.

"That is my best start since I was five-under-par for the first 36 holes in the Heineken Classic in Perth," he said. There he faded to 37th after a third round 76. "This time I will try and give it a roll and go forwards, he added.

Higgins played with Raymond Burns, who was disgusted that he gained so little reward on the greens for the quality of his strokeplay. I played better golf than David, but a double bogey six at the 18th was typical of my day," he groaned after his second 74. I just could not hole a putt on those greens.