Van Phillips turned his back on a judo career in the belief that "you can't get hurt playing golf". But the 26-year-old Englishman had to endure much pain and disappointment before breaking through after a sudden-death play-off in the Algarve here at Penina yesterday.

With a final round of 68 for an aggregate of 276 - 12 under par - Phillips remained deadlocked with compatriot John Bickerton. Then, by securing a par at the first play-off hole, the 459-yard 17th, he forced a concession from his rival and captured the top prize of £66,666.

Phillips had reason to feel immensely pleased with his day's work, not least for a wonderful second shot at the long 72nd, where he knew he had to match an anticipated birdie from Bickerton, one of his playing partners. It involved a huge gamble, after his drive had finished in ground under repair, close to a cart path.

If he took relief, the ball would have been moved three or four yards to the right, so increasing the obstruction from fir trees between him and the green. But if he played the ball as it lay, it would have meant taking a precarious stance on the cement path. He chose the latter option.

Faced with a shot of 200 yards and elevation which would ideally have suited a seven-iron, he cut a four-iron over the trees and about 30 yards left to right, bringing the ball to rest on the lower tier of the green. From there, he got down in two putts for a birdie four to force the play-off.

"Given the circumstances, it was the greatest shot of my life," said Phillips. Bickerton agreed. "Hats off to Van, he pulled off a great shot," said the runner-up. For his part, he couldn't have relished the prospect of the first play-off hole, given that he had bogeyed it less than half-an-hour previously and also in a stunning third round of 64 on Saturday.

As his 71st hole, Bickerton had pulled his drive into trouble; in the play-off, it was pushed into the right rough from where he pushed his approach wide of the green. Then, with Phillips safely on in two, Bickerton under-hit a pitch over a green side bunker; the ball landed in the sand and his chance was gone.

From an Irish standpoint, Des Smyth's chance effectively evaporated in a third round of 76, which included double-bogeys at the fifth and 16th and pushed him from top of the leader board down to a share of 23rd place. A closing round of 72 gave him a share of 25th place and a cheque for Stg£3,840.

Philip Walton was in rough off the tee and in water in three on the way to a horrendous, quadruple-bogey eight at the 12th in a final round of 75. But he was undaunted. "Generally my game's in good shape - I can build on this," he said, after sharing 55th place for Stg£1,361, the same reward as Eamonn Darcy, who had a closing 73.

Though Padraig Harrington didn't seem overly optimistic entering the tournament, it was still a surprise to see him slip down to 74th place (Stg£583) after a final round of 75. "I'm just not scoring well at the moment and putting is the main problem," he said.

Harrington added: "I'm very happy with my clubs and I don't see that a change of putter would help. But it's given me food for thought before I tee it up in the Turespana Masters in Malaga next Thursday."

Typically, Smyth could see only the positive side of what was clearly a disappointing outcome for him, given his position as leader for the opening two rounds. "I got a bit of exposure on television, which was good for my sponsor Westpoint, and I gave my lads something to cheer about," he said.

"The double-bogey on the fifth on Saturday knocked the stuffing out of me. But I'm satisfied that I can still compete with guys like Phillips and Bickerton. Whether I could win is another matter, but if I can sharpen up my iron play, I know I can be up there challenging for the big cheques."

Though Phillips is 20 years younger than Smyth, he, too, has seen the dispiriting side of a notoriously demanding game. Six years ago, he was with Harrington and Raymond Burns in the youngest ever Walker Cup team. And he shared in the biggest defeat in the series, when they were crushed 19-5 by the Americans at Interlachen, Minnesota.

"I got one of our points," he recalled, cheerily. Three months later he failed at his first attempt at the Qualifying School and didn't become a regular competitor on the European Tour until 1997, after coming through the Challenge Tour the previous year.

Irish enthusiasts saw him in action in the Irish Open at Druids Glen last July, when he was seven strokes off the lead after three rounds. But he finished with a 77 for a share of 35th place behind David Carter.

On Saturday evening, there was a three-way tie for the lead between Phillips, Bickerton and the Italian, Massimo Scarpa, on 208 - eight under par. But Bickerton moved into a one-shot lead with six holes remaining. And he increased his advantage to two strokes at the top of the leader board when Phillips bogeyed the 14th, blaming mud on his ball.

"I knew it wasn't my fault so I was determined to hang in there," he said. His response was a birdie at the next, and he drew level at the 17th where he had a par, to Bickerton's bogey. "I knew the 16th and 17th were going to be the key holes," he added.

Referring to an embryonic judo career, he said: "When I was 12, I fought in the Nationals at Crystal Palace. But I had already started playing golf and you don't get hurt when you play golf. Mind you, my dad was upset when I gave up judo. He's a real fanatic about the sport."

Father and son got together a few years later in the Carris Trophy, the British boys stroke-play championship. Unaware that his father wasn't permitted to caddie for him, Phillips incurred a 14-stroke penalty for the seven holes they were together, on the way to a 91.

Such set-backs were consigned very much to the past, however, as he relished his moment of triumph. "I always felt I was good enough to win, but I started to wonder if it was ever going to happen," he said. The wondering is at an end.

Irish positions in the Order of Merit: 17 Paul McGinley £69,857; 44 Padraig Harrington £24,815; 57 Darren Clarke £17,636; 126 Eamonn Darcy £4,265; 130 Des Smyth £3,840; 136 Philip Walton £3,100.

Ryder Cup table: 2 Clarke 3,453 pts; 14 McGinley 1,716; 27 Harrington 1,009.