Harrington lays the Belfry ghosts

A relieved Padraig Harrington sits proudly at the top of Europe's Ryder Cup table today after finally adding his signature to…

A relieved Padraig Harrington sits proudly at the top of Europe's Ryder Cup table today after finally adding his signature to a winning scorecard.

The 29-year-old Dubliner captured the BBVA Turespana Masters in Madrid by two strokes yesterday for his first victory since the drama of the Benson and Hedges International in May.

Harrington was five strokes clear with 18 holes to play at The Belfry when it was discovered he had failed to sign his first round card. Instead of going on to collect the £166,660 top prize, he was disqualified and left with nothing.

There was no way he was going to make the same mistake in the Spanish capital, though, after he shot a closing 70 for a 17 under par total of 267.

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The relief was not only from the fact that his scorecard, complete with two of his signatures just to be sure, was approved before he was handed the £97,824 cheque, but also that he had survived a back nine wobble which he will not want to repeat.

"I won purely on my mental side," he admitted.

"My driving was very poor and it was the ability to persevere and not get down on myself which got me through."

Four ahead with six to play this time, Harrington double-bogeyed the 13th and was in trouble at the par five next before conjuring up a wonderful recovery from under the trees to set up a birdie.

A storming finish from Scot Gary Orr put the pressure back on, but Harrington sank a 20-foot putt for par on the 16th after going from one bunker to another and then safely parred the last two.

It was only the third victory of his five-year tour career, but his second at Club de Campo. His maiden success, in only his 10th tour event, came in the 1996 Spanish Open.

But for that win he probably would have taken the week off, but he said: "It was a great decision to come - inspired."

There was one horrible moment before he teed off in the final round, however.

Remembering how he was approached on the practice range at The Belfry to be told what had happened, he was hitting balls again yesterday morning and looked up to see tournament director Mike Stewart coming towards him.

"Even though he had a smile on his face I wasn't sure it wasn't bad news, but he had only come for a chat and to look at my new irons."

Orr, who eagled the 14th and birdied the 15th and 18th, earned £65,218 for second place and Swede Per-Ulrik Johansson, who was left to rue missed putts of two, five and three feet over the final nine holes, was third.

Round of the day was a 65 from Darren Clarke and it brought the Ulsterman from 15th spot to fourth. But he needed to win to go back to the top of the money list ahead of Lee Westwood and with three events to go he still trails his stablemate by just under £39,000.

That could widen to nearly £140,000 this week. Westwood is playing in the Italian Open, but Clarke has decided to rest ahead of the Volvo Masters and American Express world championship, where a win double would be worth in the region of £1 million.

Clarke had fallen out of contention with a Saturday 70 during which he leant on his putter and broke it at the 17th.

"I had to use my three-wood on the last, but I always bring two or three putters with me and I was able to switch to one of them today," he said. "It worked a lot better, so I'm glad it happened."