When fate deals its hand, you take whatever you get, not just in life, but in golf too. And Ian Woosnam and Padraig Harrington, for quite different reasons, were more than prepared to accept any favours the golfing gods were willing to offer as the Perth Classic, at The Vines Resort, reached the halfway stage yesterday.

Woosnam, who won this title in 1996, pitched in from 91 yards for an eagle at his last hole to claim a share of the lead after 36 holes alongside Ryder Cup colleague and playing partner Bernhard Langer on nine-under par 135.

Harrington, meanwhile, was a mere 10 seconds away from incurring a two-stroke penalty for a lost ball towards the end of his round.

Harrington eventually located his ball in a bush at the 15th, after searching for four minutes and 50 seconds, just 10 seconds inside the time allowed, and the Dubliner took advantage to go on and shoot a second round 71 for a one-over-par 145 total, surviving right on the cut mark.

Not surprisingly, given his liking for the course and his current confidence, Paul McGinley continued to lead the Irish challenge. McGinley added a second round 70 to his opening 69, which left him on five-under par 139 in tied-sixth place, four shots behind the leading duo.

Philip Walton also made the cut - on 145, the same mark as Harrington - but Raymond Burns (75 for 152), Ronan Rafferty (77 for 153) and Francis Howley (81 for 156) all failed to make the weekend.

The chase is on to catch Woosnam and Langer. The pair opened up a three-shot lead over their nearest pursuers, Australia's Craig Parry, Denmark's Thomas Bjorn and Andrew Coltart, of Scotland, who is seeking his second win on Australian soil in two months which would catapult him to the top of the anti-podean tour's money list.

"That eagle at the end was a nice bonus," admitted Woosnam, whose pitch to the ninth - his 18th - screwed back into the hole. "I just couldn't read the lines on the greens all day, and what made it even more frustrating was that Bernhard was holing a lot of good putts."

Langer, for the most part, produced touches of magic on the greens on his way to a 66. The German set the ball rolling with a massive 50-footer for birdie at the 12th (his third), for the first of four successive birdies, and he was out in 31. Langer had produced seven birdies in 12 holes before his putter went cold at the eighth (his 17th), where he three-putted from just off the green, and he then three-putted the last for a par.

"I used the putter which served me so well last season and my new cavity-backed clubs, and got satisfaction from the old and the new," said Langer. "I'm happy with the way I am hitting the ball. There is not much difference in distance and trajectory from my old blades, but I am spinning the ball a touch more."

Langer, though, insisted his good performance was also due to his course management and his preparation. "The practice round on a Tuesday is one of the most important days of the week, as far as I'm concerned," he said. "I often wonder how some of my colleagues play practice rounds. They just seem to wander along and chat to each other, never even looking at the course. I am out there making notes and creating a mental picture of the holes."

And McGinley lent his weight to Langer's argument that the practice round is important to a player's week's work. "I'm out there with laser binoculars with yardages on them, so I can check exact measurements," explained McGinley. "I pinpoint possible pin positions for the week and spend some time analysing the wind direction with regards to clubs I'll be using off the tees. I can't speak for what other players are doing because I'm engrossed in preparing for a tournament myself."

McGinley's course management has paid dividends so far, putting him within touching distance for a weekend charge.