When Padraig Harrington was presented with a second chance to win the Open Championship at Carnoustie yesterday evening, he grabbed it with both hands, beating Sergio García by one stroke in a four-hole play-off after one of the most dramatic final days in the championship’s long and distinguished history.

It brought to an end a drought for European players in major championships dating back to Paul Lawrie’s victory at the same course in 1999 and left the Irishman swathed in smiles and with tears streaming down his face. At the same time, the sun finally burst through after a grey and gloomy day that had been brightened by some sparkling golf.

The cheers from the crowds for the 35-year-old Irishman and the hugs he received from Caroline, his wife, and Patrick, his young son — who ran on to the final green to celebrate his victory — spoke volumes for one of the world’s most popular and hard-working golfers. It was a win that could represent the first of several major championships.

Harrington looked to have blown his chance in regulation play when he double-bogeyed the last hole to go from leading García by one stroke to being one behind. It meant that the Spaniard needed only a par at the par-four 18th to win his first major, but he took a five there and counted himself unlucky that his ten-foot putt for victory grazed the hole and stayed out.

Going head-to-head with his Ryder Cup team-mate, Harrington — who had trailed García by six strokes at the start of the final round and came home in a sparkling 67 — took an immediate two-stroke lead at the first play-off hole (the 1st), with a birdie to García’s bogey, and finished with a three-foot putt for bogey and victory by one at the fourth (the 18th).

“There were so many things going through my head and a huge amount of it was genuine shock,” Harrington said. “I had a foot to watch it going in there and it was just amazing, incredible to see it drop.”

And of the double-bogey on the 72nd hole in regulation play? “I didn’t allow myself to get down, to feel that I’d lost the Open Championship,” he said, after twice finding the Barry Burn. “I just convinced myself that if I was in a play-off I would do the business. But if I had lost, I think I would have struggled to come back out and be a competitive golfer.

“It has been great to be named as someone who could win it, but that creates pressure to go and do it. I’d lost to Sergio a couple of times in play-offs, so knew it [victory] was due.

“My goal was always to win more than one major. Now I’ve won one, I’ll try to win another. I’m going to celebrate like it’s the pinnacle, but I’ve got other goals now to move on with.”

García, as may be expected, was bitterly disappointed and complained that he had had to wait too long before playing his second shot to the 18th in regulation play (after finding a bunker with his approach, he took three to get down) and had been unlucky with putts that narrowly missed.

“That’s the way it is,” he said. “I have to move on and take the positives out of it. It was just not meant to happen.”

At the second play-off hole (the 16th), García’s ball struck the flagstick, causing the Spaniard to bemoan his luck. “It’s funny how some guys hit the pin and go to a foot and mine hits the pin and goes 20 feet away,” he said. “But Padraig played well today. Well enough to win.”