Montgomerie and Els find record form at right time

Scotsman sets new mark on revised Muirfield course as South African's electrifying first nine holes push him into five-way share of lead

If there has been a running theme to the majors so far this season, apart from the obvious domination by Tiger Woods, it is the consistently dogged performances of Padraig Harrington. Without threatening records, as Colin Montgomerie and Ernie Els did in the second round of the 131st Open Championship, Harrington worked himself into a share of the lead at six under par. At the same stage of the US Open, he was trailing only Woods, who here lurks two strokes off the pace.

Montgomerie, whose relationship with the Open has been more hate than love over the years, set what is officially considered the new course record at Muirfield with a seven-under 64.

The score was 10 better than his effort on Thursday and his lowest ever in the Open. It stands as a record because the course has been lengthened by around 60 yards. Isao Aoki's 63 in the 1980 Open, which shares the major championship record, remains the lowest score made at Muirfield.

Els, so often Monty's South African nemesis, went to the turn in 29, with seven birdies and two pars, to equal the second-best nine holes in the Open. The lowest was Denis Durnian's 28 over the front nine at Royal Birkdale in 1983. His 66 set the clubhouse target subsequently matched by Shigeki Maruyama, Harrington, Bob Tway and Duffy Waldorf, the only one of the overnight co-leaders to retain his position. Waldorf added a 69 to his opening 67 while Tway, the former US PGA champion, had a 66 after holing from 20 feet for a par at the last.

Harrington birdied three of the first four holes on his way to a 67 on a day of drizzly rain at Muirfield when the scoring was better than the previous day. A two-putt birdie at the 17th put him into a share of the lead. Although Harrington halted alongside Woods in the third round at Bethpage and finished eighth, it was another impressive campaign to set beside his fifth place at the Masters.

"Although we are halfway through the tournament," Harrington said, "there is more than half the work to be done. I enjoy putting myself in these positions. In a sick sense I like it." As a notorious collector of second places, he does not always get the rewards to make it worthwhile. "The occasional success would do."

After two days with little breeze, high winds are expected over the weekend. "I'm happy with anything," said the Dubliner. "It would be a shame to play 72 holes of links golf without a wind but I might get blown away as well. I'll take my chances in the wind."

Having reached eight under par after the ninth, Els dropped two shots coming home for a 66 to hold the early clubhouse lead at six under. To do so the South African had to save par at the last after driving in the bunker. Unable to reach the green with his second shot, he laid up and then pitched beautifully with his third to two feet.

Els, the runner-up in the Open at Royal Lytham in 1996 and at St Andrews in 2000, as well as being third last year, birdied the first three holes before parring the short fourth hole. His only other par on the front nine came at the other par-three, the seventh. It was a superb exhibition of iron play.

"I can't be too disappointed with not keeping it going on the back nine," said Els. "I came from nowhere to be in the lead. I hit a bad shot at the 13th and off the 18th tee but the pitch at the last was a nice way to finish.

"Going out I couldn't do anything wrong. I had good rhythm and I capitalised on the birdie holes. It's not every day you shoot 29 in a major so it is very special. It wasn't like I was hitting bad shots on the way home. It was solid, I just ran out of birdie holes."

In his praise of Tiger Woods earlier in the week, some detected that Els was beaten by the world No 1 before they started. "Coming into the tournament I wasn't playing too well so that's probably why I said what I said." The South African was not looking too far ahead. "There is a lot of golf to play," he said. "We are still playing for position at the moment."

Maruyama, who won on the US Tour in May, has been delightfully emphatic that he cannot beat Woods but he reserved the right to give another opinion after the third round. In outscoring Tiger for two days, he was able to smile and laugh with feeling rather than to avoid showing anger, something he confines to when he is deep in the trees. "If there is any major tournament that a Japanese player can win, this Open Championship could be it," he said. "I can say it suits me."

Woods made progress, although not as much as he might have wanted, especially after scowling following a missed short putt for birdie at the 16th. But, in merciless fashion, he did not drop a shot in a 68 that took him to four under par. Birdies at the third, the fifth and the 17th took him to four under par. It was not such a good day for Justin Rose, who took four to get down from a bunker at the fourth as he fell back with a 75.

For a decade Montgomerie was the most consistent player in Europe, if not the world, but few have been more inconsistent in the last couple of years. With a new set of clubs, Monty immediately felt a difference from the day before, although the quality of his long game was most helped by properly completing the backswing, something that is probably dependent on the day-to-day state of his aching back. He hit a three-wood and a three-iron to 20 feet at the first and an opening birdie was the perfect lift. He also holed from 25 feet for an eagle on the fifth, hit a six-iron to five feet at the next and chipped and putted for another birdie at the ninth.

Holing a 30-footer at the 15th was a bonus but the 18th was the most pronounced improvement. He hit a four-iron right on line, 12 feet short of the hole leaving an uphill putt that he holed to rousing cheers. "Forget the birdies, the key today was that there were no bogeys," Montgomerie said. "I couldn't afford to drop a shot after the most disappointing 74 yesterday.

"I was fortunate to be playing late-early because I didn't have 24 hours to dwell on it and read your newspapers. I wanted to go out and prove to one person that I can do this and compete at this level and that person was me."

Montgomerie had only broken 70 once in his previous 16 rounds in the Open, a 65 in the first round last year. The Scot led for each of the first two days but faded over the weekend. As well as having Andy Prodger, Nick Faldo's caddie here in 1987, Monty's putting is improved on a year ago thanks to a putter that he anchors in his stomach.

"Leading the Open for that length of time is a difficult task. Coming from behind, shooting a 64 on Friday, was a lot easier. All I've really done is shoot two 69s to be four under and in a good position. But I want to keep this momentum going. I've never been frightened of winning."