The pity of yesterday's final round of the Deutsche Bank SAP Open TPC of Europe - a mouthful of a name for a golf tournament if ever there was one - is the two chief protagonists were playing in different two-balls.

For, while Gregory Havret carried a two-shot lead into the day's activities, only to sink without trace and eventually finish no fewer than 15 strokes adrift, so hot was the golf conjured up by Trevor Immelman and Padraig Harrington they threatened to burn up the grass that has replaced the old asparagus fields on what is now the St Leon-Rot course.

In eventually failing by the narrowest of margins to defend a title won in Hamburg a year ago, Harrington - who finished with a 66, one more than the 65 taken by Immelman - registered the 22nd runners-up finish of his professional career.

"I just came up short," Harrington observed, "but next week, or in six months' time, nobody will remember that. It's going to be another second place finish (for me). That's just the way it is."

And, yet, who could begrudge Immelman, a 25-year-old South African who mimics his hero Ernie Els by mixing life on both sides of the Atlantic, this win, his third on the European Tour and second of the season? Less than a month after converting to the belly putter, inspired by watching Vijay Singh make clutch putt after clutch putt in winning in New Orleans, Immelman fittingly won by also holing an eight-foot clutch putt on the 72nd green for a 17-under-par total of 271, one ahead of Harrington who saw a similar length putt on the final green which would have forced a play-off graze the hole but remain above ground.

Darren Clarke finished in tied-third position with Swede Joakim Haeggman, five shots behind the winner.

If nothing like the wind that blew across these flatlands on Friday, or again on Saturday, yesterday's breeze was still sufficiently strong to require creative shot-making of those in pursuit of the €500,000 top prize. Sadly, for Havret, it was a day and an occasion best forgotten. He eventually signed for a final round 82 that saw him plummet from outright leader to tied-23rd and, instead, was cast chiefly in the role of spectator as playing partner Harrington made a bold, if ultimately futile, bid to retain his title.

Not that Harrington did much wrong. His only bogey came on the second where, deceived by the wind, his tee-shot finished up in the hazard down the right.

That error was sandwiched in between birdies at the first and third holes, while further birdies were added at the seventh, ninth, 10th, 12th - where he had an eight-foot eagle putt - and the 14th. However, when most he needed them, the birdies dried up.

"Obviously, I kept looking at the leaderboard and every time I looked up I was surprised to see Trevor had made more birdies. I suppose if we had been playing together it would have been more of a battle.

"I thought I was doing well and was surprised to see he was keeping pace," said Harrington.

Although playing in the group ahead, Immelman was more than keeping pace. He had seven birdies in an error-free round and only once - when Harrington birdied the 14th - did he actually fall behind coming down the stretch. However, Immelman birdied the 15th to draw level again and, then, on the 18th hit a nine-iron approach to eight feet and had the benefit of watching Haeggman's putt on the same line break to the right. "I just played my putt a hair outside the hole," remarked Immelman.

Harrington, though, still had a chance to force a play-off. Sticking to his gameplan and using a three-iron off the tee on the final hole, he was left with an approach of 193 yards to the flag and played a beautiful six-iron to eight feet. However, the birdie putt agonisingly missed the target and he was left with a tap-in for his second runner-up finish in a TPC this season (he finished second to Adam Scott in the Players' Championship).

For Clarke, a closing round 69 for 12-under-par 276 - which earned him a cheque for €168,900 - didn't bring too much satisfaction. "I think I will have to go home and experiment with my putting in the garage," said Clarke. "It is just so frustrating, there's no way I can win a tournament putting the way I have this week. It's testing my patience."

There was no such frustration for Immelman. "To win this tournament, one of the strongest on the European Tour, and against one of the strongest fields all year, is a tremendous feeling."

Meanwhile, Graeme McDowell has earned his first shot at a major with the news that he, British Masters champion Barry Lane and Haeggman have secured places in the British Open at Royal Troon in July. They qualified as the leading three non-exempt players on the European Order of Merit this season.