Padraig Harrington still has a love-hate relationship with Wentworth.

And, surprising as it might seem, it will not change even if he earns almost £1.2m on the Surrey course tomorrow.

The chances of that massive amount being handed to the Dubliner are very much alive after a second successive 69 left him only two behind leaders Justin Rose and Angel Cabrera at the halfway stage of the BMW PGA Championship.

By winning the Irish Open last Sunday - itself worth nearly £285,000 - Harrington made himself the only contender for a £680,000 bonus if he also captures the £495,848 first prize at the European Tour's flagship event.

Thanks to an eagle on the 610-yard 17th, where he hit his second shot to six feet, last season's Order of Merit winner is six under par with two rounds to go.

Argentina's big-hitting Angel Cabrera, winner two years ago and twice second, had a best-of-the-day 66 to join Rose, who even with a three-birdie finish was able to add only a 70 to his opening 66.

''A million Euros is a million Euros in any man's language,'' said the multi-millionaire Harrington when asked about the bonus.

''I didn't know how much the prize money was this week, but I knew how much the bonus was. I'm very aware of it because it's something different.

''It's only an incentive. If I don't win it I haven't lost a million - it's always a positive.''

Yet he must try to do it on a course he stayed away from for two years, explaining: ''I've gone there every year and beaten myself up. That does nothing for my confidence.''

Harrington held that opinion despite having gone round the lay-out in an 11 under par 61 - the lowest round of his career - during the World Match Play final he lost to Ian Woosnam in 2001.

Asked if he still had reservations he said: ''Yes. I think the changes they have made are superb and it's great tee-to-green, but I don't think there's a player out there who doesn't know what I think about the greens.

''I've come out and said it in the past with the hope of things changing. But things haven't.''

Certainly the possibility of winning two weeks in a row - it rarely happens in golf - does not unduly concern Harrington.

''As an amateur I went 18 months in Ireland without losing in stroke play events over 36 holes or more,'' he recalled.

''The better I do the more likely there's going to be some adrenaline.''

But fatigue, mental and physical, is a problem he is aware of and already suffering from.

''I struggled at the very start today (his second shot finished on a spectator's backpack), then stalled in the middle of the round. My three-putt on 12 (for a par five) was just pure lack of concentration.''

He then bogeyed the 14th, but at the 610-yard 17th hit a magnificent second shot to six feet for an eagle he described as ''a nice tonic''.

Rose's bonus was his playing of the last three holes. Prior to that he had mixed four birdies with five bogeys and had been overtaken by Indian Shiv Kapur.

But after a wedge to 14 feet on the 16th, he two-putted the long next and got up and down from sand at the last.

Cabrera holed a 173-yard eight-iron for an eagle two on the first, went on to add four birdies and just as importantly kept a bogey off his card.

Paul Broadhurst, joint overnight leader with Rose, could do no better than 72. Into third place came Wentworth's own Ross Fisher, after a stunning birdie-eagle-birdie finish for 67, and Australian Marcus Fraser.

Els had been only two behind after his first-day 68 but a 76 matched his worst-ever score in the event.

The same applied to Colin Montgomerie, but while Els was still safely inside the halfway cut at level par, Montgomerie had to wait until late in the evening to learn his fate.

Other big names knew they were out straight away. Retief Goosen exited on six over, Darren Clarke and Ian Poulter on four over and 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie on five over.

Hartlepool's Graeme Storm missed the cut after a disastrous second round 78, leaving him five over par. After an opening 71, he double bogeyed the first and 17th yesterday, also dropping shots on three, six, 11, 15 and 18.