Playoff win sees Dodd capture Irish Open title

Stephen Dodd, who played 165 events before he won his first European Tour title last November, did it again tonight in the Nissan Irish Open at Carton House.

Third place was shared by Liverpool’s Nick Dougherty and Argentinian Angel Cabrera, while Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood shared fifth with Australian Nick O’Hern, who equalled the record on the Colin Montgomerie-designed lay-out with his round of 66.

The 38-year-old from Cardiff captured the €330,000 first prize when he defeated Ryder Cup man David Howell – beaten in a play-off for the second week running – with a birdie at the first extra hole.

It was a late, late show after a hailstorm drove the players from the course in mid-afternoon and forced a suspension of play for 90 minutes.

That meant it was 8.20pm before the issue was decided.

Dodd and Howell had earlier both stood eight under par on the tee at the 513-yard last, but after Dodd had two-putted for birdie Howell came to the hole and pushed his drive into thick rough.

There was no alternative but to lay up, but after hitting his third to 14 feet he made the putt to keep his hopes alive of a first win since the 1999 Dubai Desert Classic.

What followed was more disappointment just a week after he allowed the British Masters to get away from him.

But for Dodd it was the continuation of a staggering upturn in a career which for so long was a constant struggle.

Howell was in the rough again on the same hole, but this time with his second shot, while Dodd was once more on the green in two. And this time Howell could not get up and down.

“I don’t really know how it’s happened,” said Dodd.

“I can’t explain it, but after winning I developed more confidence and believe in what I’m doing.”

Aside from his Shanghai win it needed an eagle at the last from Ernie Els to beat him in Dubai in March and his last four tournaments have seen him finish sixth, fifth and 11th and now first.

Not having played a Major since he won the British amateur in 1989 and qualified for the Open and Masters, he now has a chance to earn an exempt spot at next month’s US Open.

Dodd, who was planning a holiday in Dubai that week, needs to climb into Europe’s top two at the BMW Championship at Wentworth, but it remains a tall order as Ernie Els and Retief Goosen are the ones he has to catch and they are both playing.

“As time goes on you’re not sure it’s going to happen,” Dodd had said on achieving his first win.

“I never believed I wasn’t good enough. If I didn’t think that I would have stopped a long time ago.

“There are lots of people who have been to the school four, five or six times and proved themselves as winners.”

Compatriot Ian Woosnam needed three visits before becoming world number one and Masters champion.

A member of Europe’s record-breaking Ryder Cup team last September, Howell came into the week with an incredible 34 top-10 finishes since Dubai.

More than that, he was desperate to make instant amends for last Sunday when he led the British Masters at the Forest of Arden by one with one to play, but bogeyed it and lost a play-off to Thomas Bjorn with another bogey.

Howell admitted he was more gutted by that than any of his other near-misses, but having risen to 37th in the world even without winning he refused to lose faith in himself.

Dougherty, who had not even teed off when the storm hit and delayed play, resumed two ahead and made that three with a superb opening drive and approach to four feet.

But the script changed when he drove into sand on the 474-yard fifth and four-putted from the fringe of the green for a double-bogey six.

Finding deep rough off the next tee he thrashed at the ball, but moved it only a few feet and after bogeying there he hooked into more trouble at the long eighth and dropped another shot.

Howell’s birdies at the eighth and ninth lifted him one ahead, but as he bogeyed the 11th Dodd birdied the 210-yard 12th and they changed places at the top.

Dodd was two clear of Dougherty when he two-putted the long 15th, but Howell hit a magnificent three-wood to three feet for eagle to be one back and then level when Dodd bogeyed the short 17th.

Hopes of the first home win since John O’Leary in 1982 were suddenly revived when Harrington sank a bunker shot for an eagle two on the 13th. But it still left him three behind and he then ran up a six on the long 15th.

Darren Clarke finished tied for 13th place on -2, whilst it was a disappointing tournament for Paul McGinley, whose one over par total saw him finish tied for 28th.

Meanwhile, Australian Brett Rumford, winner of the main event a year ago, earned himself 10,000 air miles on a private jet by finishing top of a competition based on how everybody played the final five holes during the week.

Collated final totals in the Nissan Irish Open at Carton House, Maynooth.

(Gbr and Irl unless stated, par 72):

279 Stephen Dodd 69 70 72 68, David Howell 70 70 69 70 (Dodd won playoff at first extra hole. Dodd won £227,466, Howell £151,644)

281 Angel Cabrera (Arg) 71 73 69 68, Nick Dougherty 68 72 67 74 (£76,839 each)

282 Nick O’Hern (Aus) 73 73 70 66, Lee Westwood 70 74 70 68, Padraig Harrington 73 72 68 69 (£48,860 each)

283 Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 72 74 68 69 (£34,120)

284 Steven O’Hara 74 73 70 67, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 72 73 69 70, Philip Golding 72 69 72 71, Oliver Wilson 72 71 66 75

285 Colm Moriarty 69 74 72 70, Simon Dyson 71 72 71 71, David Carter 74 73 67 71, Jose-Felipe Lima (Por) 71 71 69 74

286 Darren Clarke 70 75 69 72

287 Graeme Storm 71 75 73 68, Garry Houston 77 71 70 69, Bradley Dredge 72 68 75 72, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa) 74 71 68 74

288 Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 72 73 75 68, Terry Price (Aus) 75 71 7 69, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 74 72 73 69, Richard Finch 71 75 72 70, Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 73 70 73 72, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 72 71 68 77

289 Joakim Backstrom (Swe) 74 74 73 68, Colin Montgomeie 71 73 75 70, Sandy Lyle 73 72 73 71, Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 73 71 73, Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 73 73 70 73, Paul McGinley 72 69 74 74, Stuart Manley 72 74 69 74, Richard Green (Aus) 73 74 68 74, Christian Cevaer (Fra) 73 73 68 75, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 72 68 73 76, Titch Moore (Rsa) 73 74 66 76

290 Scott Drummond 71 77 72 70, Peter Lawrie 74 71 74 71, Paul Broadhurst 72 75 72 71, Mark Foster 71 73 71 75

291 Peter Gustafsson (Swe) 72 73 74 72, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 74 72 73 72, Peter O’Malley (Aus) 69 78 72 72, Jonathan Lomas 73 73 72 73, David Higgins 73 75 70 73, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 74 69 72 76

292 Brett Rumford (Aus) 73 73 75 71, Simon Wakefield 71 75 75 71, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 71 72 77 72, Ian Woosnam 73 72 75 72, Robert-Jan Derksen (Ned) 72 73 73 74, Eduardo Romero (Arg) 72 74 72 74, Simon Khan 70 76 72 74

293 Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 74 74 74 71, Miguel Angel Martin (Spa) 72 76 73 72, Soren Hansen (Den) 76 71 73 73, Ian Garbutt 72 74 73 74, Marc Cayeux (Zim) 71 73 74 75, Gordon Brand Jnr 72 73 72 76, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra) 71 72 73 77

294 Johan Skold (Swe) 72 76 74 72, Gary Emerson 76 71 74 73, Rolf Muntz (Ned) 70 73 76 75, Gary Murphy 73 72 73 76, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 68 76 73 77, Jimmy Bolger 73 73 71 77

295 Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 76 72 70 77

296 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 72 75 75 74

297 John Bickerton 73 73 73 78

298 Niki Zitny (Aut) 77 71 75 75.