Harrington withstands the heat

In singles, there's no place to hide, no place to run. Padraig Harrington didn't need to do either. As most of his European team-mates wilted and withered when faced with the last day onslaught, the 28-year-old Dubliner held firm and, in a battle with Mark O'Meara, the American with Irish links, he proved his inner steel to take the match on the final green.

It was a bitter sweet win. An hour before Harrington teed-off, Darren Clarke, the other Irishman in the team, was walking down the first fairway when a $50 note blew across his opponent Hal Sutton's path. The American promptly picked it up, pocketed it, and used it as a lucky charm, not only for himself, but for the rest of his team.

Harrington didn't need luck, only skill and fortitude. He needed that mental strength too. Towards the end of the match, the home crowd got quite hostile and even the large Irish support - something like a travelling Hill 16 - were swamped by the over zealous American spectators.

All along, Harrington knew his match was what the Americans call a "clutch" one. Vital. "From what the crowd were saying to me, and the way that the Americans were shouting to Mark, I knew it was important. But, to be honest, a personal win doesn't mean a hell of a lot. I wouldn't have minded losing 9 and 8 if the team won. That's what this is all about, and I'm very disappointed that we slipped up at the final hurdle," he said.

The week, though, will retain fond memories for one of Europe's seven rookies. "I said all along that I wouldn't enjoy it if we lost, but we have. It has only whetted my appetite to be back on the team in two years time," added Harrington.

His duel with O'Meara provided a fascinating spectacle, the large Irish army of supporters adding to the colour of the occasion. But the good-natured banter and chanting that accompanied the match early on was replaced on the back nine by some hostile behaviour as the crowd, and indeed American players who had won matches ahead and dropped back to support O'Meara, whipped things to a frenzy.

On the first hole, Harrington had struck first blood. A 25 foot birdie putt plopped into the tin cup and, although they say playing singles is a lonely occupation, the supporter draped in the tricolour with the words "you'll never walk alone" was keen to assure Harrington that he wasn't.

After three holes, Harrington was two down. The Irishman three-putted the second and then was felled by an O'Meara birdie on the third. However, O'Meara was to hold the lead for the first and only time in the match for a mere 15 minutes. On the fourth green, Harrington rolled in his second birdie of the day to level the match.

But, as he walked towards the fifth tee, the enormity of Europe's problems were plain to see. The giant scoreboard was dominated by red American figures as the USA were up in six, all square in two and down in just one. The day's trend had been set, and it was vital that Harrington won to give Europe any chance of retaining the trophy. In the end, even that wasn't sufficient but Harrington proved man enough for the task.

After regaining his one hole lead on the fifth, O'Meara responded with a 20 foot birdie on the eighth to level again. However, on the ninth, O'Meara pulled his drive into trees, could hack out only five yards and then a further 15 yards with his next. He failed to find the green with his fourth and, when Harrington put his approach to the Par 5 just 12 feet from the pin, the American had had enough and conceded the hole. Harrington one up at the turn.

The homeward journey was a nerve-wracking one, and forced Harrington to display all his mettle. When O'Meara's short game rescued him for the second straight hole at the 13th, Harrington's deserted him. A missed eight footer for par was greeted with load cheers from the Americans, and O'Meara was back level.

Harrington had a great chance to take the lead again on the 14th, but contrived to three-putt for the second time in the match and, thereafter, the holes were shared to the 17th. On that hole, O'Meara graciously conceded Harrington a tricky two-footer after Tom Lehman greeted O'Meara's par by racing onto the green, unaware that the Irishman still had to finish out.

It would have been an injustice if Harrington lost, and, on the 18th, he ensured that wouldn't happen. O'Meara visited bunkers twice whereas Harrington played the hole superbly. A huge drive was followed by a wedge approach of 142 yards to 10 feet past the hole. The green owed him one after an agonising missed putt in his Friday foursomes match, and when O'Meara could do no better than five, then Harrington took the two putts that ensured his singles win.

The time was 3.55 p.m., over five hours since the singles had commenced. It was the first point that Europe had mustered, but it wasn't to be enough.