Irish Golf Desk

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Harrington too tired for disappointment

From Brian Keogh at Wentworth

Pooped Padraig Harrington kissed his million euro bonus goodbye at soggy Wentworth and confessed: "I'm too tired to think."

Dane Anders Hansen holed a 15 footer at the first extra hole to deny Justin Rose and win his second BMW PGA Championship.

But Harrington slumped to tied 24th after a closing 74 when a win would have given him an Irish Open-PGA double worth €2.14 million.

Five over par for the last two rounds, the Dubliner ran out of gas to finish seven shots outside the play-off on one under par.

Harrington said: "If I was fit and strong it would hurt. But I wasn't, so I am not disappointed in any shape of form. Only for the million, I am sure I would have missed the cut this week."

Three under par starting the day, a 67 would have put Harrington in a play-off as the last three groups combined for a nightmare 27 over par total.

Overnight leaders Paul Broadhurst and Ross Fisher crashed to rounds of 80 and 84 as Hansen fired a 69 to set the eight under par target and was matched by Rose, who fired a 109 yard wedge to a foot at the 18th to card a 71.

Richard Sterne and Vijay Singh finished third on seven under after rounds of 74 and 66.

But Harrington was not beating himself up, adding: "I was tired going into Adare and the adrenaline just managed to keep me going.

"I tried to get a bit more out of it but I did so many sloppy things this week. But I am not going to give myself any hardship over this in any shape or form."

Leading Irishman Peter Lawrie, 33, closed with a 69 to share of 12th place on three under par and earn €63,183.

Lawrie even holed a seven-iron from 158 yards for an eagle two at the seventh and outscored playing partner Colin Montgomerie by four shots.

After fighting back from five over after five holes of his second round, Lawrie beamed: "I’d a wee chat to myself on the sixth on Friday and said 'Just enjoy yourself. There’s people would give their right arm to play this golf course. Cheer up a bit. It’s not the end of the world.'"

Meanwhile European Tour CEO George O'Grady has confirmed that The Irish Open will remain sandwiched between The Players and the BMW PGA on the 2008 schedule.

Ryder Cup vice captain Paul McGinley, who closed with a 74 to finish tied 50th on five over par, believes the weather and not the date is the problem.

McGinley said: "I think it is a decent date to be honest. If we worked to play behind any major championship in America, The Players would be the one we'd pick as it has the least number of Europeans competing."