Padraig must stop the Haas party

The Players Championship: Harrington clings to joint lead, happy to be hunted as old-timer stages unlikely charge

Padraig Harrington stayed on top of the leaderboard at the US Players Championship but was joined after three rounds by a most unexpected companion. At 49 years of age Jay Haas is the oldest man in the field and was supposed to be warming up for the Champions Tour, the new name for the Seniors circuit.

To arrive there as the reigning Players champion would be remarkable. The last of Haas's nine victories on the main tour came 10 years ago but he was runner-up to Mike Weir at the Bob Hope Classic earlier in the year. Haas, with four birdies in a row from the 10th hole, scored a 67 to be 11 under par. Harrington, who led by two at the halfway stage, overcame a double bogey at the seventh hole to post a resilient round of 70.

Harrington will be trying to become the first Players champion from Europe since Sandy Lyle in 1987. "I'm still leading so that's not too bad," he said. "I enjoy the test of being the hunted. Being out in front is the hardest position to be in, but that's where you want to be."

The unlikely pair were two strokes ahead of a group that included last year's unlikely winner, Craig Perks. The New Zealander, who has had only one top-10 finish since leaving Sawgrass 12 months ago, was making another improbable challenge. In an uncanny recap of his final round in 2002, Perks chipped in for an eagle on the 16th and holed a long birdie putt at the 17th.

A year ago, Perks chipped in for a par at the last for his win but now he hooked his drive into the lake and took a bogey to tie the old firm of Fred Couples and Davis Love, both former winners here.

Haas would like to play in the Masters at Augusta one last time and victory here would grant him that wish. On the other hand it is becoming increasingly less surprising to find Harrington doing well at the game's biggest tournaments. The 31-year-old Irishman might not have found his top form prior to arriving at Sawgrass but he appears to be able to peak when the toughest courses come round.

Whether Harrington, now ranked 10th in the world, goes on to win major championships or not, or even this, the so-called "fifth major", his work ethic is out of the same manual as Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer. Faldo himself acknowledged as much. "I like his commitment," said the former world No 1. "He practises really hard and he trains hard as well. It's what I keep preaching. You've got the technical part, the physical part and the mental part and he is giving it his best shot on all three."

Where Harrington has been particularly impressive this week is in leading from the front despite not being happy with all of his game. As a long Friday in which he made 10 birdies in 26 holes wore on, he hit fewer and fewer fairways but his short game and putting was exceptional. For once he could not save himself at the seventh in the third round yesterday when he thinned his recovery out of a greenside bunker.

An earlier three-stroke lead was now wiped out and Haas suddenly emerged as a serious contender. Harrington, finding himself trailing, immediately responded by birdieing the 11th and 12th to tie the veteran American and then parred his way home.

Darren Clarke's motivation for a round of 67 was to give himself a late enough tee-time to watch this morning's Ireland-England Six Nations decider. He had his own double- bogey at the sixth but came home in 31 with a brilliant second to the 18th which finished three feet away. "I kept hitting it close on the back nine," said Clarke. "I just kept patient and waited for things to happen and fortunately they did." Clarke acknowledges Harrington's strength in the mental department and has been working with Bob Rotella on staying patient. At eight under par, he might have been even better but for bogeying the last two holes in the dark of Friday night when he had the option of coming back yesterday morning.

"I thought about emptying the fridge of beer last night but decided against it," Clarke said. "Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I decided to play on and it was a mistake." What he had said on Friday night immediately after his round was that, "if I'd parred the last two holes I'd be standing here smiling." That he was standing there smiling already spoke volumes about how he is managing to be more philosophical about the game.

The forecast for today's final round is for wet and windy weather, which may help Tiger Woods make a strong comeback. Despite winning three of his first four events of the season, Woods has struggled with his game on a course which he is never particularly comfortable on ­ after all he has only won here once, two years ago.

Woods started his third round seven strokes behind and briefly got to within two. Playing the course the "wrong way round", he bogeyed the fifth and seventh before birdies at his last two holes. "That was very important to put me within touch of the leaders," Woods said. A 68 left him five off the lead.

"I didn't hit the ball as consistently as I wanted to but I am still in a good position," said the world No 1. "If the weather is bad tomorrow and I can go out and shoot a good solid round it will be easier to catch the guys. Whenever the wind blows here it can become a mystery to figure what clubs to hit."