Harrington, Walton lead Irish revival

SALVATION of sorts arrived for the home contingent in the final round yesterday, even if they couldn't quite match the mesmerising magic of Colin Montgomerie.

A goodly smattering of the Irish, with more than pride at stake, responded by shooting rounds in the 60s - matching the humid temperatures - and Dubliners Padraig Harrington, who'd missed the cut 12 months previously, and Philip Walton had the distinction of finishing as joint leading Irishmen on one-under-par 283.

More importantly, Harrington, who used a double bogey start (when he had the ignominy of four-putting the first green) to stir himself into life, and Walton, managed to secure top 10 finishes, in tied-seventh position, earning them Pounds 15 403 each.

In all, five of the nine Irish players who survived for all four rounds shot sub-par final rounds: Harrington, with six birdies in his 69, and Walton, who finished with 68, were on the 283 mark; Darren Clarke and Ronan Rafferty each signed off with 68s for level par 284, while Paul McGinley finally hit some form on the greens with a 69 for 289.

Sadly, Eamonn Darcy had his worse round of the championship, slipping to a 75 for one-over-par 285 after spearheading the Irish challenge for so long. "A bad, bad day, nothing went right," lamented Darcy. "All in all, I'm so disappointed. I gave it everything, but didn't get much back."

The smile was back on Harrington's face, though. "I finally got some breaks," he said. Obviously, he was omitting his nightmare at the first in that particular analysis. Harrington was on the edge of the green in two but, putting up the slope into the grain, he sent the ball 12 feet by the hole. The putt slipped back three feet by the cup, and, to rub salt into the wound, he also missed that.

"I think it bucked me up," said Harrington, who added six birdies - at the third, fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and 14th (his last one from 15 feet being the longest) - before finishing with two bogeys in his last three holes.

"I wasn't too unhappy with that finish, because these things happen," he said. "My target going out was to shoot 69 and get into the top 10, so I'm happy with that."

Walton, meanwhile, was another man with a smile on his face. "My only problem is that I'm struggling to string four good rounds together. That first round (76) proved quite costly. However, I'm playing really well now and I'm happy with the way I responded to that opening effort. Over the weekend, I feel I got the rewards my general play deserved," he said.

His final round 68 comprised five birdies and two bogeys. And an indication that Walton's broomhandle putter was in good working order came as early as the third, where he sank a 15-footer, and he had further birdies at the fifth, seventh, 14th (from 25 feet) and the 18th, where he hit a fine five-iron approach to five feet.

Clarke's finishing round of 68 came as a mild surprise. "I actually went down to the practice range and only hit 10 balls. I was striking so badly I decided to leave it at that," he commented. However, the Ulsterman notched up six birdies - and three bogeys - to move into a share of 15th place and a cheque for Pounds 9,626.

"I wasn't striking the ball too well all week," said Clarke. "It was a bit of a struggle. I don't believe there was any pressure playing in front of the home supporters. My problem is, keeping the ball on the fairways.

The Irish trend-setter for so long in the tournament was Darcy, but it ended in disappointment, his final round featuring six bogeys and just two birdies. And two of those bogeys came at the finishing two holes. "I hit the wrong club to the 17th," said Darcy, who chipped back to three feet and missed the putt. "I was still so annoyed with myself on the 18th that I didn't concentrate properly on the last. Apart from that, however, I gave it everything.

Gary Murphy, meanwhile, who was disqualified last year when he signed for a wrong score, at least went home with a cheque this time. The former Irish amateur champion had a 72 for 290, earning Pounds 3,975 for his troubles, while

Damien McGrane (71) and Eoghan O'Connell (74) finished on 292.