Ryder Cup star Padraig Harrington maintained his lead at the Iskander Johor Open in Malaysia after a 5-under par 67 gave the Irishman a one-shot lead at halfway over Chinese Tapei’s Lin Wen-tang at the Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club in Malaysia.

Harrington is chasing a first win in two years, and the three-time major winner can thank his putter for keeping him in the hunt and follow

“I didn’t play as well as a 67 and I got a few breaks on the back nine. I struggled quite a lot. I holed a long putt which got my round going a bit, hit two nice shots to make eagle but still had to hole a 25 footer which was a bit of a bonus to come back like that. After 11 holes, I would have settled for one or two under. Five under is certainly a bonus,” said Harrington afterwards.

Victorious Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie shot a one under par 71 to make it through to the weekend on three under par.