Bogey at the 18th costs Pádraig place in play-off
Only two weeks previously, Harrington would have played off with Michael Campbell for the Smurfit European Championship had he not found water with his approach to the closing green. He explained at the time that he felt he needed an eagle to force the tournament into extra-time but, as it transpired, a birdie would have sufficed. Yesterday, he arrived on the last tee in the Open believing that nothing less than birdie would keep him in the Championship. So he discarded his original game plan and chose the driver instead of the one or three iron. He even instructed the marshals to keep the fairway crossing closed in the expectation of a big tee shot.
Instead, he not alone pulled it into a fairway bunker but right up against the lip, leaving him with no option but to come out sideways and aim to land on the spectator pathway. He did so successfully, rifled a fine third shot to the green but some 35 feet from the cup. He struck a magnificent putt which grazed the hole and so finished five under for the Championship.
