There has never, surely, been a final day of an Open that contained as much excitement as this one. In all the championship’s rich history, have so many men thrust themselves into contention and then taken themselves out of it again as they fought to lift the Claret Jug?

Carnoustie traditionally lays on spectacular feasts of golf in this, the oldest of the sport’s four major championships, but even by these standards the conclusion of the 136th Open was exceptional.

Before Padraig Harrington triumphed over Sergio García in a four-hole play-off that gave the man who has finished runner-up in 30 tournaments his first victory in a major championship, it had been an extraordinary day, one of majesty and disappointment.

The play-off was between the young pretender in García, 27, who has shown promise since the moment he burst into international prominence by coming second to Tiger Woods at the US PGA Championship in 1999. Facing him was Harrington, 35, who would be many people’s nomination for the most popular professional golfer.

The Irishman took the lead at the first extra hole, but it all came down to a short putt on the 18th, the fourth extra hole, that Harrington had to hole. In it went and up went his arms. “If I had lost I wouldn’t have played again,” Harrington said. Victory came in his 37th major championship and was the first by an Irishman since Fred Daly in 1947.

That at its conclusion it was two Europeans, two Ryder Cup team-mates, who were involved meant that one of golf’s hoariest records had been ended. The run of 31 major championships without a victory by a European, dating back to Paul Lawrie’s victory on this course in 1999, was over.

At the end one’s heart went out to García, who had led from the first round until late in the fourth. The short game has long been his nemesis, the streams of magnificent shots from tee to green being neutralised by a lesser ability with his putter. Here he used a belly putter and for three rounds it worked beautifully. It was the thirteenth time he has finished in the top ten of a major championship. Unlucky 13. García looked heartbroken, as well he might, and he sought some consolation by complaining about the length of time he had to wait to play his approach to the 72nd hole.

On this day, half a dozen men had thrust themselves into the heart of the arena and demonstrated their skills with a flourish here and a thrust there before fading into the margins. It was a day’s golf of excitement and quality, one that bore no relevance either to the drabness that surrounds this remarkable course nor the weather beneath which this excitement unfolded.

There were six or seven contenders, including one major champion in Ernie Els, perennial pretenders such as García and Harrington, a lone American in Steve Stricker, an Englishman in Paul Broadhurst, who slipped off the stage quickly. Of these, none was so surprising as Andrés Romero, 26, the Argentinian who has played well enough to be on the European Tour for only three of the past seven years.

As the eyes focused elsewhere, Romero went about his work with such success that he had taken the lead by two strokes after 70 holes. By that time he had had nine birdies and was nine under par. He was playing as though he had not realised he was leading the Open. As one putt after another rolled into the hole, his face wore a look that could be described as embarrassment crossed with surprise. But then Romero finished with a six and a five and his challenge was over.

Els moved menacingly towards his fourth major victory until his challenge began to peter out on the homeward nine. Before that there had been the extraordinary sight of Stricker missing three putts much shorter than his shadow. One wondered how Stricker is considered one of the best putters in the United States and how his short game was so brilliant the day before.

The initiative swung this way and that throughout the afternoon. At first García held on, then a series of jabby looking putts resulted in dropped strokes on the 5th, 7th and 8th. Then came Romero’s antics before he, too, disappeared.

And then came Harrington, walking like a sailor heading for his first drink ashore for months. Six strokes behind at the start of the round, he drew level with García on the 11th. The Irishman eagled the 14th and when he hit a magnificent iron to the difficult 15th and only one last roll denied him a birdie on the 16th, he looked to be at ease with himself and his position.

But he lashed at his drive on the 18th and the ball bounded on to a bridge over the Barry Burn and toppled into the water. As this happened, García was going up the 17th. The two men passed one another with scarcely a nod. Now the impetus was with the Spaniard. It went more García’s way when Harrington, having dropped out of the burn under penalty, mis-hit his next and it toppled into the burn in front of the green. He got his six, though, and hoisted Patrick Jr, his grinning son into his arms and accepted the acclamation of the crowd, even though he knew that he might still have to endure a play-off.

So García stood on the 18th tee knowing that a par four would win him the title. The same was said of Jean Van de Velde eight years ago. An iron from the tee found the fairway. Half the job done. Now he chose a three-iron. The ball dribbled into a bunker, from where he got out to ten feet.

How ironic it would have been if a man known for poor putting should hole a difficult putt to win the Open. For a few seconds the ball looked to be in before it caught the side of the hole and spun away to the right. It was back to a play-off — this time came sweet success for Harrington.

Swinging fortunes

How the lead changed hands . . .

— At 2.20pm: GarcÍa -9, Stricker -6, DiMarco -3, Harrington -3
— At 4.40pm: Romero -8, GarcÍa -7, Harrington -6
— At 5.10pm: Romero -9, GarcÍa -7, Harrington -7
— At 5.47pm: Harrington -9, GarcÍa -8, Romero -6
— At 6.15pm: GarcÍa -8, Harrington -7, Romero -6
— At 6.27pm: GarcÍa -7, Harrington -7, Romero -6
— And finally, 6.55pm: Two-shot swing to Harrington at first play-off hole

Rough notes Round of the day

Richard Green: if somebody had revealed that an Australian left-hander would equal the course record at Carnoustie, most people would have checked the handicaps of Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey. Green is the epitome of a solid but unsung professional – two European Tour victories in 11 years – yet he competed with the very best. Rounds of 72, 73 and 70 were followed by 64, ensuring that whatever the mood of the weather gods, Green finally had his day in the sun

Comeback of the day

Ernie Els: like a bird of prey, one always senses that the South African is hovering, even if he isn't ready to pounce. Yesterday he went for the kill, five years after the last of his three Major victories, the Open Championship at Muirfield. While Garcia’s nerves started to surface during the early rounds, Els was as indomitable as ever, picking up birdies at the second, third and sixth

Brit of the day

Paul Broadhurst: if you had to name two things to come out of Atherstone, the A5 would probably be your first choice. Broadhurst, who hails from the Warwickshire town but spends his time earning a living in some of the sport’s less glamorous events, apparently owes his recent resurgence to a chastening experience in a supermarket when his son told a stranger that his father ‘used to be a good golfer’. Little man, you can drop the past tense now

Cheer of the day

Anything that accompanied success on the part of Padraig Harrington