Golf: At one stage of the proceedings, a wag looked up to the sky in search of a green hue, so deeply involved were the Irish contingent in divvying up the money on offer in the TPC of Europe at Gut Kaden.

Indeed, aside from Padraig Harrington winning the title, it was a tournament that reaped significant financial benefits for a number of other Irish players, not least Graeme McDowell who, despite shooting a closing round 69 for 16-under-par 270, actually lost ground and moved from his starting day position of second back to a tied-fifth finish.

McDowell - who played alongside Harrington in the final pairing, and described the Dubliner's final round as "awesome" - was keen to look at the bigger picture, and figured his performance here would kick-start his season as a number of big events, continuing with this week's Volvo PGA at Wentworth, loom on the horizon.

"You know, it's been a while since I was in this position of playing in the final group and this is where you find out a lot about yourself," said McDowell. "You don't find out anything about yourself playing at 9.30 in the morning, or being on the first flight home. I found out that being in the last group is something you get used to and, for me, this is all part of the learning experience."

McDowell, who collected €96,660 for his three-way share of fifth alongside Paul Casey and Justin Rose, added: "I've reset my goals and know how important things like the world ranking are with a view to getting to play in the majors, which is where I want to be. I'll learn a lot from this week, and it sets me up well for the next few months."

Likewise, Darren Clarke - who finished with a final round 68, giving him four rounds in the 60s - believes he is on the verge of delivering a big week. "I played really well and every shot I hit was right down the flag, and there were so many putts that I was walking after the ball because I thought it was in only for it to stay out. You can't do any more than that and I just hope that I can continue playing as well as I have been," he said.

Clarke's tied-eighth finish gave him €60,660 and moved him to 13th in the Order of Merit.

For Peter Lawrie, the tournament finished with another decent performance. The Dubliner shot a final round 68 for 15-under-par 273 which left him in tied-12th place and prize-money of €42,727. "I'm starting to feel really comfortable in this company. I mean, you're putting your worth against guys who you've only seen on television and it is nice to move up a league."