Italy's Francesco Molinari opened a one-shot lead over South Africa's Charl Schwartzel at the Portugal Masters Friday, but triple Major winner Padraig Harrington was waiting to pounce. Molinari added a second round 66 to his opening 63 to reach 15 under with Schwartzel carding a 65. Harrington hit a second round ten under par 62 to move into third place on 13 under and keep alive his Race to Dubai hopes. The 38-year-old Irishman had a putt on the last to lower his all-time best round on The European Tour, but mishit it from 18 feet. “Pity I didn't give it a better run,” he said. “I played the tough holes really well and that gave me the opportunity to shoot a really good score. It could even have been the magic number.” Molinari said he has an extra reason for wanting to shine this week - to open the gap again between himself and his older brother on the World Rankings. Edoardo, US Amateur champion in 2005, is top of The Challenge Tour and has improved to 112th. Francesco is currently 70th. Schwartzel had a hat trick of birdies from the 15th, but then came a closing bogey for a second successive 65. Liang, Martin share lead Chinese star Liang Wenchong and Australian Andrew Martin each shot six-under-par 65 to share the second-round lead at eight-under in the $500,000 Midea China Classic Friday. Australian Stephen Leaney, the 2003 US Open runner-up, carded a 69 and Korean Park Jun-bum shot 66 to go six-under at the Royal Orchid International south of Guangzhou, in the third event of the inaugural OneAsia season. First-round leader Craig Scott (72), fellow Aussie Brad McIntosh and China national team amateur Kevin Huang Wenyi (68) finished five-under, one ahead of Koreans Park Jae-kyung (69) and Sung Sea-woo (72) and Irishman Eddie Barr (72). Liang showed the form that made him Asia's No. 1 in 2007 by hitting a bogey-free round. The 31-year-old crowd favorite opened with a birdie on his first hole, the 10th, before a 35-foot putt on the par-three 15th kicked off a run of five birdies in six holes. OneAsia plans to offer 12-15 events next year and 17-20 annually from 2011 and beyond. Three share lead In Las Vegas, American Tom Pernice Jr. took a share of the first round lead at the Las Vegas Open Thursday firing a nine-under par 62 to jointly head the leaderboard with Troy Matteson and Spencer Levin. The 50-year-old Pernice Jr., whose last win on the PGA Tour was more than eight years ago, took just 26 putts and hit all but one green in regulation. Matteson was set for the outright lead after producing four successive birdies on the back nine but he bogeyed the 17th and needed another birdie on the last to have a share of top spot. Levin, who is half Pernice Jr.'s age, took his share of the lead thanks to a bogey-free round that included an eagle on the par
