Padraig Harrington's hopes of a Ryder Cup debut received an enormous boost yesterday after he fired a two-under-par final round 70 to finish runner-up in the Italian Open, one shot behind playing partner Dean Robertson of Scotland.

Harrington sank a 15-foot birdie putt on the last to break a four-way tie for second, and the Stg£79,000 he earned in Turin pushed him up to 14th in the Ryder Cup table, one place behind fellow Dubliner Paul McGinley.

It also moved him to 10th in the European Order of Merit.

The putt was worth nearly £32,000 - he took home £79,357 rather than £47,517 - but he said: "It didn't count for much. I wanted to win.

"But Dean played great and thoroughly deserved to win. Apart from the 17th he didn't put a foot wrong all day.

"To be honest, my short game has been neglected and it caught up with me."

He had lost the outright lead by bogeying the 405-yard fourth after a slow play warning and never got it back.

For Robertson, a former Walker Cup team-mate of Harrington's, it was his first victory on the European Tour.

The 28-year-old from Paisley claimed the £119,042 first prize with a closing round of 68 for a 17-under-par total of 271. Remarkably, he is the seventh first-time winner in the last 10 tour events and, even more amazingly, he had missed the halfway cut in eight of his 11 starts this season.

American Open champion Lee Janzen, on a rare visit to Europe, finished only 66th and Robertson said: "I think Mr Janzen would have got a surprise about the depth of the European tour this week.

"My legs were shaking the last few holes, but I held my nerve.

"I told some friends a few weeks back that despite my record this year I'd never hit the ball so well. I said that at the odds (over 100 to 1) I was worth a bet - I hope they did it!"

Harrington, who had led by one overnight, bogeyed the 16th and 17th, but Robertson missed the chance to go three clear by three-putting the 17th as well.

By the time Harrington made that birdie putt on the last, the Canadian-born Scot had putted up to less than 18 inches and after telling his caddie "my legs have gone, but my mind's on the job" he knocked in the title-winning putt.

Harrington had been in a four-way tie for second with English pair Gary Evans and Russell Claydon and also Welshman Phil Price, who had finished with a superb 63.

Robertson, who wis now fourth on the Order of Merit and 16th on the Ryder Cup table, had led the Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth with five to play last May, but fell back to fifth.

"That stood me in good stead," he said. "It's difficult to control adrenalin and I was fighting it more there, but today I went with it and told myself not to get stage fright and that it was natural."

Masters champion Jose-Maria Olazabal closed with a 66 for joint 13th spot and Seve Ballesteros had his best round for almost a year and his best finish for even longer.

Having failed to make a single cut all season until last week's Spanish Open, Ballesteros finished 17th after a closing 67.

The 42-year-old, who has been fighting a stiff neck this week as well as knee and back problems, still entertained thoughts of winning when he turned in 31.

He was lying fifth then and it would have taken an inward 30 just for a play-off as later events turned out, but two birdies were cancelled out by two bogeys.

Ballesteros, at the centre of controversy a week ago over a wrong drop which many players thought should have led to his disqualification, appeared not to have forgotten the incident.

"I let my game talk for me," he said. "I just keep quiet. A lot of things have been said on this and that, so I'll wait for my moment.

"It will come. I don't know when, but I am in no hurry."

Olazabal commented: "I love to see Seve up there. He still has his short game and as soon as he hits it straight with the fighting spirit he has he is going to win more tournaments.

"If he keeps playing like this I think he has a pretty good chance of a Ryder Cup wild card. And you never know, he may not need a wild card. I'll be happy if that happens."