Harrington wins Irish Open after play-off

Padraig Harrington today became the first home winner of the Irish Open in 25 years after a dramatic play-off victory over Wales' Bradley Dredge.

Harrington was four shots clear at the turn and two clear with two to play, but bogeyed the 17th to Dredge's birdie to leave the pair tied on five under par playing the 18th.

Both players made par and headed back to the 18th tee for a sudden death play-off where the two followed each other into the right rough off the tee and then perilously close to the river with their second.

Dredge's shot went slightly further left, leaving him an awkward stance with the ball above his feet and this cost him as his 150-yard seven-iron approach dropped agonisingly short, plugging in the river bank just in front of the green.

The Welshman managed to hack out a few yards, advance the ball over the back of the green and then chip to within five feet but Harrington got up and down from 28 feet to secure an emotional victory with a par five.

Harrington took a three-shot lead into the final round and, watched by John O'Leary - the last Irishman to win the title in 1982 - got off to a shaky start when he fluffed a chip to bogey the second, but bounced back with a birdie on the next.

Another bogey on the fifth after a poor drive saw his lead down to a single shot as England's Simon Wakefield, playing in the group in front, birdied the seventh.

Roared on by large and vocal home support, Harrington then birdied the seventh and eighth and went one better with a superb eagle on the par-five ninth - holing from 10 feet - to move to seven under par.

Harrington's lead was halved when he three-putted the 11th for bogey and Dredge birdied the 12th after recovering from a greenside bunker.

However, Dredge then promptly pulled his tee shot on the next into the trees and bogeyed after chipping out sideways, while Harrington saved par after charging his birdie putt six feet past.

At six under par the world number 12 was three clear of Dredge with five holes to play.

To his credit Dredge refused to throw in the towel and chipped in from 20 feet on the 14th for birdie, and then holed from 30 feet on the 15th to reduce his deficit to just one shot.

And it could have been much worse for Harrington, who had to hole tricky par putts on both holes just to keep his nose in front.

Dredge looked to have let Harrington off the hook when he three-putted the 16th after an overly-cautious tee shot, but there was still time for more drama to come.

Dredge missed the 17th fairway but fired a superb approach to three feet for birdie, while Harrington, from the middle of the fairway, missed the green and ran up a bogey five.

All square playing the last, both players made par fives to mean a sudden-death play-off would be required.