Fortune again turns its back on Harrington

The gods are either with you, or they're against you, as Padraig Harrington discovered at The Belfry - again - yesterday, writes Philip Reid from the Belfry

On a day that started in brilliant sunshine, but dulled as if to signal the Dubliner's fate, Harrington was left to rue what could have been as he had to settle for a share of third place behind Argentina's Angel Cabrera, a player who had suffered his own share of trials and tribulations before finally discovering the secret to winning on European soil in capturing the B&H International Open.

For Cabrera, a 32-year-old former caddie whose only previous European Tour success actually came in last year's Argentine Open, victory came on a course which the European Ryder Cup team had hoped would deliver a morale boosting win for one of their own in the run-up to September's showdown with the Americans. It wasn't to be, however.

At various stages of a drama-filled final round, though, Harrington and, to a lesser extent Colin Montgomerie, led a charge that ultimately delivered false promise. Cabrera's final round 69 for 10-under-par 278 gave him a one stroke win over third round leader Barry Lane, while Harrington and Montgomerie, who both bogeyed the finishing hole, shared third place, a shot further back, with New Zealand's Michael Campbell.

Of the challengers, Harrington had looked the most menacing. Back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes kick-started that challenge and, playing sublime golf, he gave himself a number of birdie opportunities on that outward run. Crucially, however, he missed good birdie chances on the ninth - where he hit his approach over the flag - and the ninth, where his superb approach finished eight feet below the hole.

However, back-to-back birdies on the 11th and 12th moved Harrington to nine-under. At that time, he was on behind Cabrera, but, when the Argentine dropped at shot at the 11th, it mean that the Irishman moved into a three-way tie for the lead with Cabrera and Lane.

";I was in a really good position, and expected to capitalise on it," admitted Harrington. Even when he bogeyed the 14th, it was not the end of his ambitions. A birdie on the 15th - where he was just short of the green in two and pitched to four feet - got him back into the tie for the lead and, very briefly, the trio were joined on that mark by Montgomerie, who birdied the 17th.

That Par 5 17th effectively proved to be Harrington's undoing. He hit a huge drive, clearing the elbow, but the fairway is one of the hardest to hold on the tour and his ball settled in the fringe.

"I must have found every fringe on every fairway. It mush have happened at least 10 times and, each time, I got a flyer and couldn't get it to stop," he remarked. On this occasion, the ball was in sitting in a hole. To compound matters, it was surrounded by fluffy grass.

"I played it a bit safe," he admitted, of using a three-iron instead of a four. The result was that he missed the green, pitched to six feet and missed the birdie putt.

On the last, Harrington's approach missed the green. He got a big break, however, when being allowed a free drop because his feet were on a sprinkler head and, instead of pitching out of rough, he could putt from the collar.

The putt deceived him. "It was uphill and then downhill, but I didn't expect it to go six feet by." Which is what happened. He missed the par putt, and with it went any hopes of the title. "I'm very disappointed because it's an opportunity missed," he said.

As it transpired, it wouldn't have made any difference in terms of taking the title as Cabrera finished two shots ahead of him. The Argentinian claimed the outright lead with a birdie on the 17th where he reached the green with a three-iron approach and then two-putted from 30 feet for what proved to be the decisive birdie.

His work still wasn't finished, though. His three-iron approach from the semi-rough left him 40 yards short of the flag. For a big man, he produced a deft lob-wedge to 18 inches and a tap-in birdie, leaving Lane requiring a birdie on the last to force a play-off. It didn't come, but Lane's brave par for a 73 gave him second spot on his own.

"I think this can be the start of great things in my career," said Cabrera, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter. "It is so valuable to my confidence to win a big tournament against such a strong field. I know I should have won more tournaments in the past but, sometimes, golf can't find the answer. This is a new beginning."

Michael Hoey's first taste of big-time tournament play as a professional produced a satisfactory outcome although, tellingly, the player himself had set his sights even higher. A final round 72 for level-par 288 left him outside the desired top-30 he had targeted, but nonetheless gave him his first pay cheque for £12,591 for a share of 32nd place.

"It's been a good experience and I know I can handle myself under pressure," he said. The Belfast man's next outing - having received a personal invite from Jack Nicklaus - is on the US Tour in the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village next week but he has received no definite confirmation of further invites on the European Tour.

"Not yet, anyway," he said,but the player is hoping to at least receive invites to the Irish and European Opens.