GOLF: So, another year without a home winner of the Nissan Irish Open. So what?Yesterday, a miserable old day borrowed from darkest winter, Padraig Harrington chose to position himself in whatever rays of sunshine escaped from the grey clouds overhead and focused instead on the positive. No neck injury; fifth place, and a feel-good factor about the weeks ahead.
Without bringing his A-game to the party, Harrington very nearly gate-crashed the shindig.
"I look back and, wow, can't believe I finished only three shots back," said the Dubliner, who - yet again - emerged as the leading Irishman in his native championship.
Already, it seemed, he was looking forward to the tournament returning to the Montgomerie Course, which it will again in 2006.
On this occasion, though, Stephen Dodd, once considered a journeyman professional but who in recent months has discovered the knack of winning, overcame Europe Ryder Cup player David Howell in the first hole of a sudden-death play-off to take the second title of his career and the second title of a season that must seem as if it is taking him to dreamland.
Dodd, who required no fewer than 10 visits to tour school to establish his credentials as a professional, won the China Open - the first event of the 2005 season - last November and, yesterday, fired a final round 68 for a 72-holes total of nine-under-par 279 to finish level with Howell.
At the first play-off hole, however, Dodd's birdie was sufficient to give him victory and a cheque for €333,330.
It moved him to fourth position on the European Tour money list.
"I've put a lot of hard work into the past couple of seasons and feel that my form is a reward for all that hard work. If, at the start of the season, someone had told me I'd have won twice by now, I'd have been very happy," said Dodd.
Harrington closed with a 69 for 282 which left him in tied-fifth, and looking ahead to the upcoming weeks.
"My game's not quite there, but it is very good to be in contention with this sort of form . . . I'm driving as good as I ever have, but this is not the sort of putting I want to be bringing to my favourite greens at Wentworth," said Harrington, a reference to this week's BMW championship at the Surrey course where he has notoriously struggled on its greens in the past.
Paul McGinley is due to have an X-ray on his injured wrist, suspected to be tendon damage. He was advised by his doctor not to play yesterday after sustaining the injury in Saturday's third round. "I wanted to have a go," said McGinley, who hopes to be fit enough to play at Wentworth.
279 (nine under)
Stephen Dodd 69 70 72 68
David Howell 70 70 69 70
281 (seven under)
Angel Cabrera 71 73 69 68
Nick Dougherty 68 72 67 74
282 (six under)
Nick O'Hern73 73 70 66
Lee Westwood 70 74 70 68
Padraig Harrington 73 72 68 69
283 (five under)
Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 72 74 68 69
