Rumford the master of Baltray

Irish Open For a time yesterday, as the thousands scurried expectantly over the sand hills of Baltray, it seemed the famine would finally be ended. For Padraig Harrington, though, and the other Irish, it was not to be. And so it was that while Harrington took the 24th second place finish of his career, an Australian - but not the one we'd all anticipated - took the Nissan Irish Open title. Philip Reid reports from Baltray

Brett Rumford, who celebrates his 27th birthday tomorrow, took up golf as a 10-year-old and showed his promise when winning the ANZ Players' Championship in Australia as an amateur. Since progressing to the professional ranks, however, he never quite fulfilled his potential. Until yesterday, that is.

On a grey, overcast day when a fresh wind caressed this wonderful old links, Rumford - who had started out a shot behind compatriot Peter Lonard - ensured the title, along with a cheque for €316,660 and the Waterford Crystal trophy, would be taken to a land Down Under for the first time since Ossie Pickworth in 1950 after a final round 67 for a 14-under-par total of 274 gave him a four stroke winning margin over Harrington and Raphael -Jacquelin, of France.

"It'll count as another second place, I suppose," said Harrington, who was not downbeat. "When it comes to my next second-place finish, they'll not say the last one was a good one but that's another one in the notch. Perhaps I should have a little post to notch them in at this stage."

In fact, Harrington's final round 67 for 278 brought him from a nine-way tie for 11th at the start of the day to a two-way share of second, so the glass was definitely half-full.

At the start of the final round, most hopes of a first Irish win in the tournament since John O'Leary in 1982 had centred on Paul McGinley. Unlike Harrington who got off to a fast start with three successive birdies to have the roars reverberating over the dunes, McGinley, despite not suffering a bogey all day, couldn't make a charge and finished with a 70 for 280, leaving him in tied-fifth.

"I can't get frustrated because I didn't hit enough good shots," remarked McGinley. "I've no complaints. I didn't get off to a good start and never created momentum."

Graeme McDowell, who finished with a 70 for 282, to be tied-11th, was also philosophical. "I hit the ball great, But anytime something could go wrong it ended up in the worse spot possible. It was a case of what could have been this week, but I'm excited about where my game is."

Rumford, however, walked onto the first tee for his final round to the sound of roars - Harrington roars, he imagined - from the far side of the course.

"I knew he was coming on strong . . . but I just had to play my own game. I knew what I had to do," said the Aussie. In fact, he got into birdie mode quickly by grabbing a hat-trick from the second to leapfrog over Lonard and, even when he did find trouble, the golfing gods looked after him.

This was especially true on the 16th, where Rumford's approach was hit "fat" and he was left with a nasty chip over a hillock to the green. Using a nine-iron from 35 yards, he "flopped a nine iron over the first knoll" and it holed into the hole for birdie. That put him five clear and his destiny was in his own hands.

On the 18th tee, he toyed with the idea of hitting a wood but reverted to his gameplan to use a three-iron and, although he finished with a bogey, he said, "it's a 72-hole tournament, not one."

It was a measure of his growing maturity. When he won the ANZ Players', Rumford was pitched as the next great hope; but it has proven to be a hard apprenticeship. Once, when leading the Ericsson Masters in Australia going into the final round, he shot a 76 and was overtaken by Colin Montgomerie.

"That really hurt my confidence, my self-esteem. Everything. I had a lot of demons to face for a long time after."

Last year, however, he won the St Omer - a dual badge tournament with the Challenge Tour which gave him a one-year exemption on the regular Tour - and this win has not only given him a two-year exemption, but also a place in the NEC Invitational in Akron.

"It's a huge satisfaction to come back from where I was," said Rumford. "My whole career was in steady incline then hit a real big bump in the road and that sent things in the other direction. I didn't know how to get it back. It was just a lot of hard work, grinding it out . . . and that's the thing you learn as you get older."

Harrington's move through the field was the most significant, but he again fell short. "If I look back at the first three rounds, I'd say I threw away a lot of golf shots. But that's golf.

"Who knows? If you go out leading, you might be static. It's hard to be aggressive when you're in front, it's easier when you've nothing to lose and can fire at the pins. But it was great to be in genuine contention in an Irish Open, to give the crowd something to think about."

The Dubliner has had second thoughts about playing in this week's Scandinavian Masters and, instead, will take a two-week break before the US PGA. "I am a hair's breadth away from breaking down at this stage.

I think I need a rest," he remarked. "I have been pushing it." ...

274 Brett Rumford (Aus) 66 71 70 67

278 Padraig Harrington (Ire) 70 70 71 67

Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 69 68 74 67

279 Peter Lonard (Aus) 64 70 72 73

280 Andrew Oldcorn (Scot)71 69 71 69

Paul Broadhurst (Eng)73 67 70 70

Paul McGinley (Ire) 73 71 66 70

281 Peter Baker (Eng) 70 72 69 70

Peter Fowler (Aus) 70 72 69 70

Nick O'Hern (Aus) 64 74 72 71