Mullingar Scratch Trophy: Rory McIlroy celebrated his call-up to the Britain and Ireland side for the next month's St Andrews Trophy with a dramatic play-off victory over Baltray's Simon Ward in the Mullingar Scratch Trophy yesterday.

Played in front of a huge gallery in blissful, sunny conditions, the 17-year-old Irish Close and West of Ireland champion made a winning par four at the second tie hole to add his name to the list of illustrious former winners of the title.

This time next year, McIlroy will be hoping that the R&A selectors will be naming him in the Walker Cup side to face the United States at Royal County Down and 19-year-old Ward may be in with a shout of joining him on the evidence of his performances over the past few months.

Less than a week after capturing the South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch, Ward again putted beautifully to card rounds of 66 and 69 on the final day and set the clubhouse target of 13 under par that McIlroy only narrowly failed to beat.

Stackstown's Mark Campbell had held a two-stroke lead over McIlroy with two rounds to play but found himself tied for the lead with the Ulster tyro on 12 under par after a morning 71 to McIlroy's 69.

Ward, playing in the match in front of the final threeball, was just two shots adrift on 10 under par but the title race soon developed into a two-horse affair after Campbell went to the turn in one over par and then dropped four shots over the next three holes.

The Dubliner admitted that tiredness had caught up with him in the end as he slipped to a closing 74. He had to settle for joint third place on 10 under par with Clandeboye's Jonathan Caldwell. Ward played the front nine in two under par to get to within a shot of McIlroy and then picked up another shot at the 18th to leave his Ulster rival needing a birdie to win and a par to tie.

Having lost the title to Gareth Shaw in extra holes last year, McIlroy went for the green in two from the left rough but pulled his five-wood left of the bunker and failed to get up and down. After two-putting for par and a final round 71, McIlroy had to hole a four-footer to match Ward's birdie at the first tie hole. But he clinched victory at the next, Mullingar's 345-yard ninth, after the Carrickmacross

native found a poor lie in a fairway bunker off the tee and couldn't save par after splashing out 40 yards short of the flag.

"It is a nice feeling to come back and win a great strokeplay event like this with all the best players here," McIlroy said. "Simon was a bit unlucky to find a leaf near his ball in the play-off but he's had a fantastic year and I wouldn't be surprised if he got on the three-man team for the Eisenhower Trophy.