A putter purloined from Dunhill Cup team-mate Darren Clarke took Paul McGinley into a share of the halfway lead in the Oki ProAm in Madrid yesterday. The 30-year-old Dubliner followed his 66 at La Moraleja's number one course with a 67 on the Jack Nicklaus-designed number two, to join New Zealander Michael Campbell on 11 under par, two shots ahead of Scot Raymond Russell and the Spanish trio of Fernando Roca, Pedro Linhart, and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

McGinley has so far claimed an eagle and nine birdies, with not a vestige of a mistake after arming himself with one of the Scotty Cameron putters that Clarke took with him to St Andrews last week.

"Darren has more putters than he has cars, and I knew he would not miss it," he said. "It has a standard length shaft, but it is three inches longer than the 31inch putter I have been using for the last three years.

"It means that this week I have been standing taller to the ball on the greens, and rocking my shoulders better than I have been doing. Before I was crouching too much, " he said.

Coupled with the extra work he did with coach Bob Torrance in Scotland last week, the putter has restored McGinley's confidence, and with two rounds remaining in the Spanish capital he has taken himself to the brink of becoming the eighth Irish member of the European Tour's Millionaires Club.

Ironically his closest rival Campbell is also benefiting from some Irish assistance, in the Maori's case from coach Don Patterson, and physiologist Helen Lennon. Campbell revealed he had twice been to Ireland recently for intensive sessions, and he has also been helped by fellow New Zealander Stephen Scahill with whom he played as a junior.

Seven birdies in his 66, including a hat-trick from the 15th that included two 20-foot putts, took Campbell, who is a lowly 136th in the Volvo Rankings, to within reach of regaining the Tour card he lost last year after an outstanding 1995 season.

Padraig Harrington had a 66 at La Moraleja II where the concluding 36 holes will be played over the weekend, to propel himself back into the title-reckoning. Harrington was disconsolate after his opening level par round in which he had two double bogeys.

"I have never been as angry as I was with myself after that," he admitted. But the smiles were back again yesterday after he sank a pitch shot of 129 yards for an eagle two at the ninth to get out in 33. Then he birdied the next two holes as well, sinking putts for five and 10 feet, to go five under, before adding another birdie at the 16th.

There he laid up short of the lake and again wedged to within five feet. "If anything I did not play as well as on the first day, but I guess I learned that luck has a way of evening itself out," he remarked.

Harrington, who holds 13th place in the rankings, is intent on maintaining his position in the top 15 in order to secure his place in the British and US Opens next season.

For Des Smyth, whose last Tour victory was in Madrid four years ago, this week's goal is much more immediate. He needs a top 15 place to keep his card after starting this event in 123rd place in the rankings. His 67 yesterday took him to eight under par with every chance of securing his spot in the top 115.

Smyth's holing out was excellent, as he gained three birdies in an outward 34 on the tricky number one course, and then had three more in the space of five holes from the 12th. He might have got even closer to the leaders after hitting a big drive at the par five 18th, but with only a six-iron to the green, he missed the target and failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker.

But for David Higgins it means a return to the Tour school next month after he crashed to an 80 for 151 and missed the cut by eight shots, and Raymond Burns will also be spending the weekend at home after tumbling to a 77 for level par. His inward 42, in which there were double bogeys at the 10th and 17th, left Burns one outside the cut off mark.