Padraig Harrington will be forgiven if he does not name the 18th hole at the Nick Faldo-designed Berlin Sporting as one of his all-time favourites. And Australian Stephen Allan will be forgiven if he names Scott Joplin as one of his favourite composers.

While the 18th stood in the way of Harrington's second tour success - a crushing bogey there left him in a share of second place - Allan's victory could be described as "The Sting".

The 24-year-old Australian was stung by a wasp on the third tee, but the Melbourne man did the stinging to provide painful memories for Harrington and two more of the four runners-up.

Harrington had looked as though he would prevail due to an alarming collapse by the long-time leader, Ignacio Garrido. The Dubliner stood on the 18th tee sharing the lead on eight-under-par. He came off the 18th green with a 69 to have to share second place on seven-under as Allan rounded off an amazing performance to beat Garrido, Harrington, Mark Roe and another Englishman, Steven Webster by a stroke and pick up the £116,660 first prize.

If Harrington erred on the last, then Garrido's finish was an extraordinary collapse. He had fashioned a three-shot lead with six holes to go and looked to be cruising to his second successive German Open title.

That was particularly so because Allan had looked to be out of the picture after hitting into a bush on the short 13th to run up a triple-bogey.

Then, though, as the young Australian repaired the damage, Garrido double-bogeyed the same 13th in a prelude to dropping four strokes in five holes.

Roe again three-putted the 17th, as he did the day before, to leave him too much to do. At the same time as Roe was dropping out of the race, Harrington was about to. He pictured birdie in his mind's eye on the last tee, but his old Achilles heel, the pull, came back to haunt him. His ball finished up in the heavy left rough and a buried lie was always going to cause a problem.

He managed to heave the ball out, but it flew hard and fast towards the little spinney of trees which guards the 18th green. Although it ricocheted off a spectator, he would have been luckier had his ball gone into the greenside bunker. Instead, it sat on a side-lie in heavy stuff. It was not surprising his pitch came up short.

When he putted up six inches short, too, and Allan very soon managed par at the same 18th, Harrington was out of the winning frame. He admitted to playing "rubbish" by running up only pars going out, allowing partner Bernhard Langer to get ahead of him. But then Harrington turned it on with birdies at the long 10th and 11th. When he picked up two more on 16 and 17, he looked certain to at least force a play-off.

The Stackstown man had to settle for a £46,557 prize, which at least takes him to 21st on the rankings: "It was a tough tee shot on the last, but I'm disgusted with myself. When I went on to the 18th tee I was only thinking of making birdie. "I couldn't see the leaderboard until I got towards the final green, but I knew I was close and that picking up a third shot in a row might win it. Then I go and do what I did.

"As far as the game is concerned, it wasn't a good sign because of the 18th. Before that it was a good sign. It was nice to be in contention again." Harrington had come to Berlin to try to keep Philip Walton from taking his Dunhill Cup place. When Walton withdrew, though, and the assault from John McHenry and Eamonn Darcy failed to materialise in the end, the St Andrews team was no longer an issue.

He and Paul McGinley will now team up with Darren Clarke next October. But that was only consolation for Harrington, who could have been celebrating another tour victory.

McGinley closed with a 70, also bogeying the last. He warned that 18 was playing the most difficult it had all week, a forecast which Harrington would definitely agree with. That earned McGinley £6,622 for a share of 24th place on level par. But he was not second-best Irishman. That was Darcy. He celebrated his 46th birthday on Friday, and ensured he would not have to rely on career earnings next year for his card by picking up £8,295 for a share of 20th place with Sandy Lyle on two-under-par.

There was misery for McHenry though, as a 76 plummeted him down to only 50th place on four-over-par, earning only £3,170.

David Higgins will have happy memories of hardly any of the Faldo holes. Yesterday he slumped to seven-over par 78 for a £1,045.

Catriona Matthew produced her fourth sub-par round to become the first home winner of the McDonald's WPGA Championship of Europe over the King's course at Gleneagles yesterday. The 28-year-old had led from the first round and closed with a 69 for 12 under par 276 to win the £45,000 first prize by a clear five shots from England's Laura Davies and last year's winner from Sweden, Helen Alfredsson.

Matthew was the first Scot, man or woman, to win a European Tour event on home soil since Cathy Panton-Lewis won the 1988 Scottish Open.