A TRIO OF twos enabled Philip Walton to atone for some uncharacteristic driving errors and join Padraig Harrington in the final 36 holes of the German Open in Stuttgart yesterday. The Malahide professional had a second round 70 for level par 142, where Harrington arrived after another 71.

The two Irishmen are 10 shots' behind halfway leader Ignacio Garrido, whose scores of 65 and 67 have given him a two-stroke advantage over Argentinian Eduardo Romero. Mark James, who had his first ace in 21 years of tournament play, Sweden's Robert Karlsson, and Van Phillips share third place on 135, with home favourite Bernhard Langer four strokes further back, and Ian Woosnam, the defending champion, on 140.

Walton has mixed feelings about the Schloss Nippenburg course for it was here two years ago that he had a frenetic final round before clinching his Ryder Cup debut. He still regards the last nine holes in particular with suspicion, but yesterday he showed he is coming to terms with some of their quirks, although he still finds the 16th baffling.

"I drove the ball badly and this is a course where it is necessary to hit the fairway," he said. "But thank goodness my putting was strong." That was evident when he holed from 20 feet at the seventh and then gained his first short-hole birdie on the next green where he was down from 15 feet.

An excellent six-iron to the short 10th left him only three feet from the flag, before he completed the hat-trick at the 17th by coaxing home an eight-footer. But he could not get up and down from off the 14th green, and was in rough and sand at the 16th to take a second bogey.

Harrington also made a two ate the 10th, holing from 10 feet, but that was a rare success, for his putting has lost its rhythm since his visit to the US Open. He failed from four feet at the 14th and 17th where three putts saw him turn in 36.

His only other worthwhile putt was the five yarder he sank loran eagle three at the first after getting home with a six-iron at the par five.

Harrington missed from inside a yard at the seventh, and then put himself in jeopardy by driving into the lake at the difficult par four ninth, where German Alex Cejka, one of his partners, was twice in the water to run up an eight. But Harrington avoided that indignity by hitting a 101 yards wedge shot within inches of the flag to escape with a bogey five.

"Because I am trying to hit my putts harder I have speeded up my backswing," he said. "That has upset my stroke, but I hope I can get it back over the weekend."

Harrington and Walton will be alone in shouldering the Irish challenge for Des Smyth failed to make the cut which fell at one over par, despite a brave inward 33 which included a birdie three at the ninth. His 73 left him on a three over 145.

Raymond Burns also departed despite improving by two strokes to a 73, as did Eamonn Darcy (74 for 151) and David Higgins, who never got to grips with the course in outings of 78 and 77 to be 13 over par.

Garrido (25) is the eldest son of Antonio Garrido, who played in the 1979 Ryder Cup with Seve Ballesteros. He has the chance to make history this year for Percy and Peter Alliss are so far the only father and son combination to play against the United States.

If he wins the £116,000 top prize, Ignacio will be pressing hard for a place in the automatic top 10, but he says: "I don't think I am good enough yet, and there are other things more important: than the Ryder Cup. I will follow my father one day, but maybe not this year.