Seconds tick by as Casey holds off Harrington

GOLF/International Open: England's Paul Casey condemned Padraig Harrington to the 19th runners-up finish of his career yesterday by winning the last International Open.

The 25-year-old from Surrey denied Harrington a glorious return to The Belfry, scene of last September's Ryder Cup victory, with a four-stroke triumph.

Casey, joint leader with Harrington and New Zealander Stephen Scahill overnight, captured the a255,325 first prize thanks to a closing 71 in the blustery conditions for an 11 under par total of 277.

Following as it does his triumph in the ANZ Championship in Sydney in February he now stands second on the European Order of Merit behind Ernie Els.

And if he can stay there for two more weeks a US Open debut next month will be his.

"I used that as an incentive and for some reason I was not nervous," he said. "I've not enjoyed last rounds in the past, but I did today."

The hole he will look back most fondly on was the 545-yard 15th. Having just double-bogeyed the short 14th to go from four ahead to only two, he crunched a drive and three-wood into the howling wind onto the green and two-putted for birdie.

Harrington still took away a170,216 and there is no need to feel too sorry for him. But he dearly wanted to win this one, as there was the matter of three years ago when he led by five then with a round to go, but was disqualified without hitting another shot after the chance discovery that he had forgotten to sign his first round scorecard.

"Everything was going to plan until I got complacent over a short putt at the ninth," he said. "I don't know if it upset me, but I had 10 putts after that which I thought were going in and didn't.

"They just kept falling out rather than falling in. But Paul's a class act, a good player who's a strong hitter of the ball. He should move on from here."

Joint third were Scahill, Dutchman Rolf Muntz and former Open champion Paul Lawrie, who had a hole-in-one with a seven-iron at the seventh and would have been second on his own but for going in the lake at the last and double-bogeying.

Things began well for Harrington when he holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the first. But Casey, playing behind him, birdied the fifth and sixth to nose in front.

Harrington three-putted the ninth, missing from little more than two feet, but Casey took five there as well after a bad drive and looked likely to be back on level terms when he carved his drive wide of the 11th fairway.

Instead, however, he finished the hole two ahead. As he made a 20-footer for par Harrington three-putted again on the next.The gap was three when Casey converted a 15-foot chance there and it was four when the Irishman bogeyed the short 14th.

The same hole gave Casey his one horrible moment after he fired his tee shot wildly right, but the next put him back in control and with Harrington taking six on the long 17th, it was all over.

Earlier Sweden's Richard Johnson broke the course record with a 64, beating the previous mark of 65 held by Barry Lane, Adam Scott and Scahill, although Harrington had a 64 in the third round in 2000, but had it erased when he was disqualified.