Padraig Harrington mounted a late comeback to beat Tiger Woods in an exciting play-off to win the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan.

Harrington was three shots behind with six holes left, but he made three birdies down the stretch to draw level with Woods at nine-under-par 271 at Phoenix Country Club.

The Irishman then prevailed with a tap-in birdie at the second extra hole to join an elite group of just six players who have beaten Woods when the world number one has held the lead going into the final round.

Woods was in control for most of the round, building a three-shot lead at the turn, which he maintained until Harrington made a short birdie putt at the par-four 13th to cut the gap to two.

The par-four 16th proved to be the key, with Harrington on the right end of a two-shot swing to tie it up with just two holes left.

After making a birdie, Harrington watched in surprise as Woods three-putted, missing his second attempt from barely four feet.

Harrington had a chance to take the sole lead at the 17th, but never even came close to the hole from 10 feet.

Woods reached a greenside bunker with his second shot at the 18th and splashed out to three feet for an easy birdie, but Harrington also made birdie, sinking a testing five-footer under intense pressure.

The play-off started at the 18th, where they both made pressure putts for birdie, Harrington's 10-footer catching the side door and dropping before Woods calmly stroked his ball home from seven feet.

They returned to play the 18th again and this time Harrington got lucky after his poor drive ended behind a stunted pine.

He tried to thread his ball between the two trunks, and though his ball caught a part of the tree, it still went forward, stopping in a good lie in the rough.

He then landed his third shot beyond the hole, using the slope to bring the ball back to inside two feet for birdie. When Woods missed a 12-footer, it was all over.