Harrington beats Bjorn in playoff

Padraig Harrington won a sudden-death playoff against Thomas Bjorn to clinch the Tour Players' Championship title on Sunday and climb to the top of the European money-list.

Both players finished a stroke ahead of the field on 19-under-par 269, Bjorn with a best-of-the-week nine-under-par 63 and Harrington a 68, but the Irishman's par at the first extra hole earned him the $517,000 first prize.

After finishing runner-up last week for the 19th time in his career, Harrington claimed his second win of the season to overtake world number two Ernie Els on top of Europe's rankings.

South African Retief Goosen, the 2002 European number one, pitched in twice on the way to a final-round 66 and third place, but it proved another ordinary day for defending champion Tiger Woods.

The world number one was looking for his third successive win in the event and fourth in five years, but a 68 left the American nine shots behind the leaders in a tie for 29th place, his worst finish since a tied 29th in the 2001 U.S. PGA Championship.

Harrington, 31, who won the Asian Open title last year at the start of the European season, is now almost certain to also move up from his current ninth place in the world rankings.

But the 31-year-old Dubliner, who had led after the first three rounds at Gut Kaden, nearly let yet another tournament slip through his grasp.

He had to hole a 12ft par putt on the 18th to take Denmark's Bjorn, who missed a nine-footer for birdie on the last which would have proved the winning putt, into a playoff.

However, two solid putts at the first extra hole proved too good for Bjorn, who found the greenside bunker and could not get up and down.

"After leading for most of last week and nearly all of this week it would have been a real dent to my confidence if I hadn't won this week," Harrington said.

"It's a big confidence boost when you get over the finishing line.

"When I won three times at the end of last year I thought I was on the way but last week it was back to the old situation, not converting my chances."

Despite his victory, Harrington will not change his schedule to play this week's Volvo PGA Championship.

"If I go to Wentworth it will maybe mess up my preparation for the U.S. Open because it would six events in a row and I could ruin the rest of my year," he said.

Bjorn, after a lengthy absence from the European Tour and a missed cut last week, was happy to equal his career-best 63.

"I am disappointed but pleased for him (Harrington) because it's about time he knocked one off," Bjorn said. "I've come a long way in two weeks. I didn't play well last week at The Belfry, so I'm making good progress."

Woods, starting the final round nine shots off the pace, looked as though he might make a charge at the leaders when he birdied the first two holes, twice hitting inside three feet, but his round petered out with just two more birdies.

"I thought I could make a little bit of a run and sneak into the top 10," said Woods. "I was consistent but I just didn't make the putts and didn't get any momentum going."

Swedish Ryder Cup player Niclas Fasth took fourth place, two shots away from the playoff, with three Britons, last week's Benson and Hedges International Open winner Paul Casey, Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell, a further stroke back.

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