Irish PGA: It's a numbers game. Defending champion Padraig Harrington won his third Irish PGA Championship at PGA National at Palmerstown Stud, the second time he has prevailed in a play-off.

Three players teed it up in the second chance saloon, with Harrington, Damien McGrane and Stephen Hamill locked together on three under par after 72 holes.

A blanket would have covered the tee-shots as the combatants played the first tie hole, the 18th. Hamill hit a four-iron into the right greenside bunker, McGrane pushed a five-iron on to the right hand apron, while Harrington cleverly used the cross wind to nudge a six-iron to 20 feet under the hole.

Two putts and a par four sufficed as the world number 12 edged out his rivals, who could manage no better than bogey fives.

It was a fitting end to a captivating afternoon's golf, with fortune vacillating between the trio.

McGrane started on five under, but three bogeys in the first five holes undermined his hopes but, crucially, didn't impair his competitive instincts.

"I gave Padraig back the lead really and then he gave us a chance," he admitted. "I hit some good shots but didn't get the reward some of the time. Over 72 or 73 holes the best man wins, that's my policy, and Padraig certainly is the best man."

Hamill, too, was left to rue a little misadventure on the 18th. On both occasions he played the hole he could do not better than bogey five. The 39-year-old Lisburn club professional, who played on the European Tour from 1989-95, smiled: "I'm delighted, but it's mixed with a wee bit disappointed at the moment. That's a couple of times that I'd have a sneaky look at it (winning the Irish PGA Championship - he finished second at Fota Island). I was delighted to be in the play-off as I'm not playing much golf."

Having holed some clutch putts down the straight, errant tee-shots on 17 and 18 caused him problems. He survived at the penultimate hole with a great six-foot par putt, but on the final hole he blocked his drive right.

Tee to green Harrington played beautifully; it was on the greens he proved fallible. At various points on the final day he looked to be in control, but a poor three-putt bogey on the 17th and a pushed second shot on the final hole - he was distracted by movement behind him - led to another dropped shot that saw him tumble into the play-off.

"(Something) caught my attention," he explained. "I should have stopped to have a look at what it was and that would have cleared my mind."

He would ultimately be afforded a second chance, but his golf merited that, not least a glorious five-wood second shot to 12 feet on the par-five 14th. "I played great. This is exactly what I wanted during the week. Obviously there is a lot of work to be done on my putting.

"I drove it particularly well: one missed fairway in the last two days. Even though I missed putts, I never stood over one and felt I was going to miss. I kept my confidence going on the greens even though the putts weren't going in. That missed short one at 17 was definitely a bad putt."

It was his fourth victory this season and one that will hone his competitive edge.

The €20,000 winner's cheque won't hurt, but one senses that it's an incidental rather than integral part of Harrington's numbers game.