Padraig Harrington has edged ahead of Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood in the battle for top spot in the Telefonica Madrid Open today.
After being forced to wait for 90 minutes for fog to clear, the back-to-form Westwood resumed with a 15-foot birdie putt to move to eight under par.
That put the former European number one - without a top 10 finish for over a year, but one of the heroes of last month's victory over the Americans - two clear of the field.
But in the following group Harrington, twice a winner on the Club de Campo course and trying to overtake Retief Goosen at the top of this season's Order of Merit, set off again with putts of eight and 12 feet and then birdied the long 14th, his fifth, as well to go one in front.
Another birdie at the 7th took the Dubliner two clear.
Harrington, winner of the 1996 Spanish Open and 2000 Turespana Masters at the course, is less than Stg£34,000 behind South African Goosen in the race to be this season's leading money-winner.
But it was a good morning for the Irishman as Goosen bogeyed the 12th and 13th to slide to three under, seven behind.
Westwood and Goosen were both warned about slow play yesterday - ironic indeed for the latter, who on Wednesday blasted Harrington for being "definitely the slowest player on tour".
Goosen was furious about his breach and stormed off after his round, but not before being heard to say to tournament director Jose Maria Zamora "perhaps I will go and play somewhere else".