The whirr of the rotors betrayed its approach before the helicopter became visible on the Wicklow skyline. The din was deafening as it came to rest in a field adjoining The European Club. At that moment the intended passenger, Padraig Harrington, was in the throes of a duel with the Headfort professional Brendan McGovern.

Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries sprang to mind, and not without a certain irony in timing, given the Apocalypse Now scenario just then overtaking McGovern, who was peering into a bush on the first play-off hole, the 18th, of the Irish PGA Championship, trying to discern where his tee shot had come to rest.

A subsequent penalty drop and missed green with his third shot invited Harrington to claim the title and the €12,500 first prize, which he duly did with a par four.

The world number 10 and his main tournament rival had provided a compelling 36-hole joust on Saturday that would eventually require a 37th on the day.

For McGovern it constituted a wonderful effort, initially manifest in a brilliant morning 66 that saw him swap a two-shot deficit for a two-stroke lead going into the afternoon's round.

What transpired has already been well chronicled, the ebb and flow of the contest seeing McGovern's advantage wiped out, restored, removed and reinstated before what appeared the final act when Harrington birdied the 13th, 14th and 15th holes and his opponent almost drove out of bounds in making bogey on 16.

Harrington led by two shots with as many holes to play but none would have countenanced him finishing with a seven and a three to scrape into a playoff.

At the 17th he pulled his three wood from the tee into deep rough, watched his recovery plunge into even thicker rough, took a penalty drop and eventually three-putted from the front for a triple bogey.

He explained, "I hit a bad tee shot. I have to watch those mistakes. It really was a time to stand off it but I didn't. I do that sometimes when things are going well for me. When things aren't going well, that's when I made my birdies today. I need to be in that frame of mind more often.

"Those three birdies in a row were important. Things weren't really going my way. I hit some nice iron shots and they were going 20 feet by the hole.

"It looked like it was going to be comfortable and that's always a danger sign for me. I can't make things easy.

"It was nice to birdie 18 (from 12 feet) because I needed it to get into the playoff. Brendan had hardly put a foot wrong all day. Even when he did get into trouble on 16 he recovered so well."

Harrington becomes only the third Irishman to win the Irish Open and Irish PGA titles, walking in the spike marks of Fred Daly and Harry Bradshaw.

This victory represented his fourth Irish PGA title and the third time he has prevailed in a playoff. He was adamant it was the perfect preparation for this week's Open at Carnoustie.

"You can't beat competing. I could finish 10th in an event and win $150,000 or something like that; it's not as good as finishing first.

"It may only be a smaller purse this week but competing is everything. There's nothing like competing to win. There is a different stress in that. It's a much better feeling: I'm trying as hard as I can; I'm nervous playing 18; I'm nervous playing the tie holes. You can't beat that."

McGovern was the personification of grace in defeat.

"It turned out to be a tight game in the end," he said. "I am disappointed as I had a chance out there and played pretty well.

"In fairness to Padraig, he put the foot on the pedal in the back nine and made three birdies and I suppose you could say I was lucky in terms of what happened to him on 17.

"He made a great birdie on 18; class always come to the top. He's a great ambassador for Irish golf."