DESPITE fading after his strong first round on Thursday, Padraig Harrington got his nose in front of his rivals for the coveted "rookie of the year" title yesterday when he earned £13,442 for a share of 10th place at the European Open.

A final round of 74 ensured that the Dub liner, who would be the first Irishman to win the award, would not figure in the shakedown for the title but he remained positive about his performance afterwards and, as he heads to next week's German Masters with a lead in the ranking list over Thomas Bjorn and Raymond Russell of just a few hundred pounds, his priorities are clear.

"I'm definitely going to Germany now because my priority is to win this. This week has been very good and the only pity of it is that I couldn't get to grips with the pace of the greens out there today," he said after a round in which he three putted three times.

Next best of the Irish was Paul McGinley, whose two under par 70 yesterday, for a four round total of 284, was little enough consolation after his performance on Saturday when, by his on admission, he "had a chance to win the tournament after 13 holes and then completely blew it".

The three shots dropped over the closing holes certainly proved expensive yesterday when he enjoyed further opportunities to clamber his way up the field but simply couldn't get his putter to do what was required.

The Dubliner allowed a handful of chances to slip away, with his best putt of the day coming at the eighth where he holed from 12ft for a birdie three. He almost went out on a spectacular note at the last, though, where his attempt from 40ft went very close to dropping. In the end he declared himself "reasonably happy" with his performance and the £9,681 which it earned him.

For McGinley, the next stop will also be Berlin, where Raymond Burns would also have been heading for had it not been for a disastrous spell on the front nine yesterday, dropping six strokes in just three holes.

Initially upset by a spectator who repeatedly moved about in his line of vision at the fifth where he missed a three foot putt, the young northerner said he was stunned to see the same man disturbing his concentration at the next.

A poor tee shot there landed him in considerable difficulties and he ended up scoring a double bogey six. But worse was to come at the seventh where he found first the sand and then the water on the way to a very costly eight.

Burns's disappointment was all the greater because he had made such a bright start to the afternoon, with birdies at two and three helping him to seven under overall. In the end, after overshooting the 17th green with his nine iron, it was thanks only to a birdie at the last, where he putted from six feet, that he finished on the right side of par and collected a cheque for £5,850.

That, however, is unlikely to be enough to get him into next week's German Masters where he now seems certain to get no closer than second reserve to a place in the starting line up.

Darren Clarke, meanwhile, enjoyed a less eventful afternoon but a fine round of 69 it could have been even better had his performance on the greens matched his display elsewhere moved him steadily through the field to a share of 24th place on three under and £7,650 in prize money.

It was David Higgins, however, who fared worst of all with his putter, with the southerner admitting that he had not been "nearly positive enough" on the greens in a round of 73 that left him level for the tournament and £5,175 better off.

A nervous final round of 77 that included five bogeys relegated Jimmy Heggarty to 47th place and £3,975, while Eamonn Darcy, two shots further adrift on 292, picked up just under £3,500 for his four days of work.