Open Championship Matchtracker-Day Four

By Rory Houston

19.00 He raises the trophy in the air, Open Champion once again.

18.58 Harrington takes the acclaim of the crowd as he goes to accept the trophy once again.

18.56 Ian Poulter receives the runner-up prize, the highlight of his career so far.

18.52 Leading amateur Chris Woods receives his silver medal. He showed great potential today.

18.47 From Kevin Houston( Re 15.43)

'The hat thing worked again!'

18.40 The wrist injury that looked to ruin his chances of defending the title is a distant memory now. Harrington played in such a relaxed manner and certainly is a deserving winner.

18.39 Harrington two putted for the win and is congratulated by his family. What an achievement by the Dubliner.

18.38 Padraig Harrington has retained the Open Championship.

18.37 Unlucky for Greg, he just misses. What a reception as he taps in.

18.35 Padraig Harrington's children want to run on the green to greet their father but they are held back. If only that happened in Croke Park today.

18.34 Norman from the bunker; decent shot and he will hope to sign off with a par.

18.33 Norman puts his arm around Harrington. He can almost relax as he has several putts to seal his second major. Remember that wrist injury? Neither does Padraig...

18.32 Norman finds the bunker so Harrington must wait before he seals the win. He raises his hand in the air to greet the crowd.

18.30 Padraig Harrington is set to become the first European to retain the Claret Jug in over 100 years. And he will be. Wonderful approach shot. He is a deserving champion.

18.25 No signs of nerves from Harrington . Good tee shot, on the fairway and he is now walking down to take his second shot.

18.22 A massive cheer as Harrington makes the putt and he now has a four shot lead. He can't throw it away now, surely.

18.20 Heartbreaking for Norman. His putt nicks the holes but doesn't drop. He's been one of the big stories of the week and he will get a terrific reception at the 18th hole.

18.17 It is Padraig's tournament to lose. Meanwhile KJ Choi is having a bit of a nightmare on the 18th. He's lost at least two balls from the tee!

18.15 That could be the shot to seal the title. Majestic from Harrington and he is smiling once again. It rolls across the mount of the green, curling around the to the back of the hole and leaves himself a putt that is by no means impossible!

18.02 Harrington's putt comes up short and he'll make a par at 16. Two holes left. He has had a lot of success on the 17th this week so he'll be confident of at least cementing his lead.

17.58 Harrington is taking it in his stride. He has a big smile on his face and after an excellent approach on the 16th you can't blame him.

17.57 Poulter is watching on, wondering if he will be playing another shot today.

17.52 Birdie for Harrington and a clench of the fist. He knows the importance of that putt. Two shot lead with three holes to play.

17.51 Stenson drops a shot on the last but he has had a brilliant day. Now Padraig's putt....

17.50 Norman holes out on 15 and he is now two behind Harrington. Good birdie.

17.48 It comes up short so he'll have a six foot putt for birdie.

17.45 Harrington has an eagle chance on 15. It is unlikely but two putts for a birdie and he will edge closer to retaining his title.

17.39 He makes it and now he must wait to see if it is enough. A round of 69, one of the few players to post under par today. Focus is on Padraig now.

17.38 Big moment coming up. Poulter needs this putt. This for a par.

17.35 20 foot putt for Poulter on the 18. He'll be happy enough with that.

17.31 Sensational putt from Norman to leave him three off the lead.

17.28 Ian Poulter comes up short again and misses the green with his approach. His challenge could trickle away with that shot.

17.26 The pressure is on Poulter now. His next shot could be the relief he is looking for. Just in case it isn't, he finds a spot to make use as a makeshift toilet. I wouldn't touch his clubs if I was his caddy.

17.24 Padraig finds the green on 14. Poulter avoids a bunker on the 18th. Decent lie. Norman now, who is out on nine over, and he has used up all his luck now. Into the deep trap by the green.

17.20 Harrington birdies! He is one clear now and Poulter may regret three putting on the 17th. Wood birdies on 17.

17.19 Nicks the hole but it stays out and he'll remain in a tie for the lead. Good shot from Norman but I think his next putt is for bogey. His chances are disappearing.

17.17 In any other tournament Poulter would need to make this to have a chance of winning. But with scores today it may not be the case. He is taking his time over the putt.

17.12 Norman is a club too short at 13. Poulter had a huge putt for eagle, he misses but a birdie can put him in the lead.

17.07 Norman finds the small bunker from the tee on 13 and his challenge is taking a backseat as Harrington and Poulter share the lead. Poulter on 17 now, he's on the green.

17.00 Poulter's putt looks as if will come up short but it just sneaks in and the player, who's only claim to fame in his career so far is that he wears clothes that are a bit different, is tied for the lead at the Open.

16.59 Sergio Garcia finishes on 17 over par, he never really got going over the four days.

16.56 Harrington makes his par and they are level as we head for the 12th hole. Lets hear your messages of support for Padraig or who you'll think will come out on top. sportonline@rte.ie

16.54 What an effort from Norman. His long putt clips the hole but luck evades the Aussie and he'll have to settle for par.

16.52 Nerves get the better of Wakefield and a birdie chance soon turns into a bogey.

16.46 Jim Furyk is the new clubhouse leader as he finishes the tournament on ten over par. With the way the scores are going who knows where he could end up with that.

16.44 Wakefield makes par and is right in contention.

16.41 Harrington finds the hole and with Norman's bogey we have a tie on the top of the leaderboard again.

16.39 Norman misses his putt, the winds certainly didn't help.

16.34 Harrington's ball has moved after he put his marker down. It was just the wind I think. There will be no penalty.

16.30 Wakefield has dropped a shot. Harrington has a 14th footer for a birdie on 10. Chris Wood makes par while Norman is in trouble near the spectators with question marks over the lie of his ball.

16.15 Harrington is struggling badly on the ninth hole. Another dropped shot on the cards.

16.10 Simon Wakefield is one behind now and he could be the player to shock the leaders with a charge. 71,74, and 70 were his rounds so far. He's been solid in his play and you wouldn't bet against him going into the lead soon.

16.08 Norman makes par at eight and Harrington drops another shot. The roles have been reversed and it is Padraig who has thrown away the two shot lead. It is tense and with 9 holes to go there will be plenty more changes in momentum.

16.02 Chris Wood looks as if he is too young to be at the angle he is at to retrieve his ball from the bunker on the 11th. That is th best way to describe it I think! He fails to do it first shot but his second is inches from the hole.

16.01 Norman has 120 yards to the pin. He's way off the fairway but its a good lie and angle to the hole.

15.56 Poulter birdies again at 11 and he is now only three behind the lead. He's up for it now and looked very determind and focused after making that putt.

15.54 Well done Greg. He's got himself back on track with that. Only one between them now.

15.52 Harrington will drop his first shot of the day. He'll have to two putt and his lead should be but to one by Norman.

15.50 Norman is in a similar position. His chip is marginally better and he'll hace a five footer for a par.

15.48 Harrington finds the rough from the next tee, his chip that follows is decent but a very difficult putt will follow for a par three.

15.43: This from Kevin Houston (no relation!- Rory) :

'Bonjour from Benodet, Britanny, France. Unfortunately our local bar doesn't open until 5.00pm your time so can't watch it with all the other Padraig fans until then!

'I'm wearing a hat which Padraig gave me when I met him in Portugal a few years ago - I did the same thing last year and it worked! If he wins today, I think we should call him "Scrambling Paddy"'.

15.40 Norman makes the putt but as Harrington secures his par he goes two behind last year's champion.

15.35 The Shark is set to drop at least another shot. He has a ten foot putt to avoid a double bogey.

15.33 Norman manages to get the ball out of the long grass but finds the semi rough on the far side. He is having a nightmare to be honest.

15.30 Padraig finds the fairway. An Irishman in the crowd shouts to Norman as he searches for his ball: 'Ah come on lads, we'll be here all day'. Good advice that.

15.28 Norman finds the deep rough and may have to take a drop. KJ Choi is also struggling and out to eight over after bogey number four of the day.

15.25 Poulter moves to nine over. Chris Woods, the amateur from England, moves into a tie for fourth.

15.20 Two more pars from the leading group.

15.14 Another excellent start to the hole by Harrington. Sergio Garcia is now on ten over and not out of contention yet.

15.09 KJ Choi drops a shot. He is back to seven under while his playing partner Simon Wakefield moves up to five under.

15.05 Crank it up Padraig. Four iron from the tee and another birdie chance. Norman, looking shaken, also finds the green but it is a very long putt.

15.03 Harrington makes a great putt for par. He goes into the lead after Norman drops another shot.

14.56 Harrington is in the front trap on the third hole. Difficult manoeuvring. Excellent retrieval and his chip misses the holes by inches. Unfortunately it runs by the hole and he and Norman will do well to make a four.

14.54 Simon Wakefield's tee shot has struck a spectator on top of the head. The bald gentleman looks to be ok. Not sure what sort of lie the ball has taken after the incident.

14.52 How will Norman react? He will need to call on all his experience to realise that there is another 16 holes to go and not to panic.

14.50 Norman drops another shot and we now have joint leaders.

14.45 'Ironman' Harrington two putts for a par at the second.

14.40 Norman makes a decent recovery but he could bogey again here. Harrington reaches the green, no problem. Solid start.

14.35 Greg Norman from the second goes wide and into the crowd. Ironically, among the group is a supporter waving an Irish flag. You'll have to try a lot harder than that to stop them Greg.

14.33 Great effort from Norman but he drops a shot.

14.27 Graeme McDowell has finished on 14 over par. Harrington comes up short at the first. He has work to do for a par.

14.25 Simon Wakefield and KJ Choi bogey the first hole.

14.19 But I must say, he is looking relaxed. He approaches the tee with a smile. Good luck Padraig.

14.17 But for Harrington....wow. He is the player the fans are behind today. He also has an entire country cheering him on back home. sportonline@rte.ie for your comments on this monumental day in his career.

14.15 'Paddy the Hare springs to mind' for Martin Gallagher when thinking of Harrington. Hmm. Anyway, Norman is on the first tee and gets a standing ovation from the crowd.

14.10 Simon Wakefield gets a good reception as he tees off. Only one more group remaining.

14.07 'Ironman' could be Padraig Harrington's nickname, according to Brendan Gleeson from Limerick. Clever.

13.59 KJ Choi has been the player to grab the least of the headlines and he has been consistent over the three days. Only two shots off the lead, we could be talking about him come this evening.

13.57 There isn't a player on the course under par at the moment. Sergio Garcia misses a birdie chance at the fifth, he had the line but not enough distance.

13.55 It's funny how Norman is referred to as a shark. Padraig needs a nickname like that, maybe winning a second major could get him one. sportonline@rte.ie for your suggestions.

13.54 Trevor Immelman birdies the eighth, as Stenson moves back to nine over after dropping a shot at the first hole.

13.52 Alexander Noren of Sweden and Anthony Kim are next to tee off. Only 30 minutes until the leaders begin. Ernie Els finishes 12 over after a 69.

13.48 David Howell is joint clubhouse leader with Karlsson actually. His 67 included an eagle at 17.

13.46 Poulter bogeys at the first.

13.45 Karlsson has posted a 69, superb. He is the clubhouse leader at 12 over. That should see him in the top 20, I reckon.

13.44 Rocco Mediate is out on the course now. Poulter and Wood are the last to tee off. Apologies if I have left anyone out. sportonline@rte.ie if you're wondering about anyone else.

13.42 Sergio Garcia and Retief Goosen are one of the pairings of the day. Three holes in, they are both one over for the day and 10 for the tournament.

13.40 This is from Padraig Harrington's coach and mentor Bob Torrance:

'He has no weak parts of his game - he's strong, he doesn't suffer from nerves and he should win it, although that's not to say he will win it.'

Nice save at the end Bob.

13.37 Camilo Villegas, star of Friday's play, is one over for the day after six holes.

13.33 Ernie Els is having a great day. He's one under after 16 holes. It's extremely windy out there today, not many players will post an under par score. Ernie is 12 over by the way.

13.30 Robert Karlsson, Paul Casey and Adam Scott are all at 13 over par. Karlsson has nearly finished his round, the other two are have nearly completed the nine.

13.28 Colin Montgomerie is four over after ten holes, 16 over par. David Duval also has that score next to his name, he's finished his round.

13.27 Rising stars Nick Dougherty and Martin Kaymer finished 22 and 23 over par respectively. Justin Rose and Lee Westwood were just above them.

13.26 So how has everyone else faired today? Chih-Bing Lam is the player with the honour of being last, just worth mentioning because it is not every day you get to refer to a 31 over par score.

13.23 The focus is all on Harrington today. Last year was supposed to be his moment but the opportunity is there for him again today. It is going to be dramatic, that is for sure.

13.18 So who will come out on top today? Send your thoughts to sportonline@rte.ie

13.15 I have a lot to catch up on. First of all Graeme McDowell's progress: he is 14 over par after as many holes. That means he is only two over for today, which is a great score. His 80 yesterday was his downfall.

13.13 Padraig and Greg are due to tee off in just over an hour. These are the tee times today.

13.10 Welcome to our coverage of the final day of the Open Championship. Padraig Harrington is looking to become the first European to defend the title in over a century while Greg Norman could become the oldest ever winner of a major.