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Harrington wins Duetsche Bank-SAP Open

HAMBURG, Germany, May 18 (UPI) -- Padraig Harrington beat Ryder Cup teammate Thomas Bjorn of Denmark at the first hole of a playoff for the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open Sunday to move to the top of the European Order of Merit and spare him the 20th runners-up finish of his career.

The Dubliner had to make a 10-foot putt on the final green to force the shootout with 19-under-par 269 total after Bjorn had closed with a 9-under 63, the lowest round of the week.

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But then it was the Dane who made the decisive mistake, hitting into sand when they returned to the 18th and failing to get up and down.

Last week, Harrington had been four clear in the Benson & Hedges International Open and finished second behind Paul Casey.

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"I did think about what I would say if I was second again," said Harrington, who finished with a 68. "Last week had me thinking I was back to not converting my chances, so to come through is just great. It would have rough not to win either (event) and to win this is a big boost to my confidence."

Bjorn was playing only his second event since taking two months off to be with his newborn twin sons.

"I go home disappointed, but not too disappointed - I've come a long way in two weeks," he said. "I'm pleased for Padraig. It's about time he knocked one off."

Tiger Woods, who won this event three times in the last four years, finished down in 29th to equal his worst finish in a stroke play event since the 1999 Bay Hill Invitational.

Scot Retief Goosen, who has denied Harrington the Order of Merit title the past two seasons, was third while Swede Niclas Fasth was fourth and Englishmen Paul Casey and Justin Rose and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell shared fifth.

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Fasth threw down the gauntlet Sunday morning with an eagle and four birdies in the first six holes to go two ahead. But he managed only level par for the remaining 12 holes.

Goosen, having pitched in at the second and chipped in at the 12th, was joint leader with four to play, but missed from three feet at the short 16th and failed to birdie the long 17th.

Bjorn went to the turn in 31 and had four more birdies. But he missed a seven-foot chance for another on the last hole and had to wait to see how costly it proved.

Harrington overcame a three-putt opening bogey to birdie four of the next eight and when he two-putted the long 15th to be on level terms he was the favorite. But a bad drive down the 17th led to only a par and when he pulled his approach to the last 45 feet wide he needed to hole it to win or three-putt to lose.

When his first putt pulled up 10 feet short, Harrington had to hole and did. In the playoff, he had a four-footer to win and made that too.

Woods, joint 38th at the start of the day, birdied the first two holes, but any thoughts of a charge from nine back ended when his second to the 541-yard third finished under the lip of a bunker.

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"That kind of summed it up for the week," he said. "I played really well and overall I'm very pleased, but I didn't sink anything. They struggled to get the greens in the shape they were the last time I was here (in 2000), but they did the best they could."

Woods was making his first appearance since a 15th place in his bid for a third straight Masters title. Now, after failing to claim his third Deutsche Bank crown, the Memorial Tournament in two weeks' time is his last event before his U.S. Open defense.

Colin Montgomerie of Scotland, beaten in a playoff last year, played the last eight holes in 3-over 73 for a 9-over total.

Now the circuit moves to Wentworth for the Volvo PGA Championship. Harrington will not be there. He has never had a top-10 finish in the event and is skipping it this year.

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