Adam Rainaud was one of the last golfers to complete his round on Tuesday at the 81st Connecticut Open Championship.

It was a physically and mentally exhausting day for Rainaud, the assistant professional at Black Hall Club in Old Lyme.

The only thing worse than Tuesday's heat was the unbearably long wait between shots during his golf marathon at The Patterson Club in Fairfield.

"It took five and a half hours," Rainaud said of his round. "We waited on every single hole all day long. It wasn't much fun. You're hitting one shot every 10 or 15 minutes. My ball striking was pretty sloppy and I just didn't make any putts.

"It was crazy how hot it was. It had to be the hottest day that I've played golf in a long time. It was a long day. The sun just beat up on you out there."

Considering the challenges, Rainaud posted a decent second round score, firing a 1-over 72 for a two-round total of 3-under 139. He's locked in a four-way tie for fifth place and one of six golfers within three strokes or less of leader Cody Paladino of Wethersfield Country Club heading into Wednesday's final round. Paladino stands at 6-under 136 (67-69).

Rainaud was in even a better position last year, trailing the leader by just one stroke entering the final round before settling for a tie for seventh place.

He admits that he'll need to raise his level of play from Tuesday's round during which he bogeyed two early holes, settled into a long par streak and closed with his second birdie of the day on the final hole.

"The pins were a little tougher today," said Rainaud, who fired a 4-under 67 in Monday's opening round. "I think the scores were probably fairly higher. I just salvaged at least a decent score and stayed in it. I didn't have much of a game today. I just hung in there and made a lot of pars.

"To be three back, I kind of like it, because I was in the last group last year and it didn't work out so well. Maybe this year to start off three back is a little better."

Rainaud will tee off at 10:03 a.m. with his playing partner Brian Gaffney of Quaker Ridge Golf Course.

It will be a quick turnaround for Rainaud, who didn't expect to make it home to Old Lyme until after 10 p.m. and then had to get up at 6 on Wednesday morning for the return trip.

"Hopefully, I can go out and post a good score and put the pressure on," Rainaud said. "I looked at the leaderboard real quick when I left. Anybody who is under par has a chance. We'll see what happens. ... I've just got to go out and play a little better than I did today."

The youngest remaining contender is 18-year-old Nick Harrington, a former all-state golfer out of Parish Hill High School in Chaplin. He matched the best score of the day with a 4-under 67 to surge into a tie for second place with Pete Ballo of Woodway Country Club.

Harrington, who'll attend UConn this fall, plays out of The Windham Club. An amateur hasn't won the Connecticut Open Championship since Jeff Hedden of Black Hall Club in Old Lyme accomplished the feat in 2008.

Kyle Gallo of Tallwood Country Club is another golfer to watch. He sits in fourth place just two shots off the lead. With a win, he will become the first five-time champion in tournament history.

Michael Masso of Lake of Isles is the only other local golfer to make the cut, which stood at 3-over 145. He's posted a 144 (71-73).

Phil Perry of Black Hall fell just under the cut line. After shooting a 1-under 70 in the first round, Perry stumbled, finishing with a 77 for a two-round total of 147. He had six bogeys on Tuesday. A second day dropoff also hurt Bill Hermanson of Black Hall. He shot a 76 to end his tournament at 150.

Kevin Riley of Pequot Golf Club (79-72–151), Nick Torrance of Lake of Isles (75-77–152), Dave Jones of Mohegan Sun Country Club (80-75–155), Kevin Shea of Great Neck Country Club (78-80–158) and Archie Cart of Lake of Isles (89-89–178) all failed to advance to the final round.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe