Justin Rose eased himself into a challenging position for the lucrative Deutche Bank SAP Open title in Hamburg yesterday.

But two other Hampshire hopefuls, Richard Bland and Matt Blackey, were left praying that the halfway cut would come back to level par.

It didn't, as Padraig Harrington's six-under-par 66 to add to yesterday's opening 65 shot him into a three-shot lead over South Africa's Reteif Goosen, who moved to ten under early on.

The Southampton-based players had begun their second rounds in a strong position, Blackey at three under, Bland a shot behind.

After parring his way through to the ninth, Blackey looked in solid shape but it was at the ninth that it all started to come away at the seams.

He dropped his first shot there, then a double bogey six at the 11th and a four at the 220-yard 14th left him four over for the day and one over for the championship - two shy of the early projected cut mark, which was looking to be one under.

As scores began to creep up marginally, though, a par cut became a possibility and Blackey, who still plays out of the Hayling Club, birdied the last to give himself a chance.

Bland's two under quickly became level par as the Stoneham clubman bogeyed the second and third.

He got back to one under at the 12th but another leaked shot at the 16th left him round in 74 and, like Blackey, on level par.

While Harrington sealed their fate, Rose made sure of getting a share of massive 3.5 million euro prize fund.

Playing some of his tidiest golf of the season, Rose made four birdies for a 69 - good enough to move him up from 66th overnight into 36th.

Salisbury's Gary Emerson picked up shots at four of the first eight holes to move on to three under - a healthy swing after starting the day one over.