Garcia wins second title after playoff

Sergio Garcia beat his Ryder Cup team-mate Padraig Harrington in a play-off to clinch the German Masters on Sunday and threaten Colin Montgomerie's reign as European number one.

The 19-year-old Spaniard's £200,000 win, his second on the European Tour, takes him to second behind Montgomerie in the order of merit and within £400,000 of the Scot in winnings.

He finished level with Ian Woosnam (69) and Harrington (67) on 11 under par 277 after a final round 68, to set up the play-off and won with a birdie at the second hole.

The 41-year-old Welshman bogeyed the first play-off hole to ruin his chances of a first Tour win in two years.

Harrington had a remarkable escape at the same hole, the 18th, after finding water and then crashing his next shot against a hospitality tent behind the green.

The Irishman chipped in to match Garcia, who had holed from 25 feet. But Harrington could not repeat his heroics when they played the 18th again and the Spaniard's 18-foot putt for birdie secured the title.

Garcia said: "I knew I had to make those two putts because I didn't know what Paidraig would do, he's capable of anything. When he chipped in I knew I had to focus and it helped me because I knew I couldn't afford to miss the putt and it calmed me.

"The first putt felt like it was 80 feet but I guess it was about 25 feet and the second was inside it but an even better one."

Asked if he could still become European number one despite only playing nine tournaments so far this year, Garcia said: "It will be really difficult and, as I said earlier in the week, I might even need to win the only two events I have left, big money ones, the Volvo Masters and the World Championship.

"But I've taken the first step and I'm that bit closer."

Garcia, Harrington and Woosnam could all have won over 72 holes but for mistakes on the last hole.

While Woosnam and Harrington bogeyed it, Garcia's birdie putt from only eight feet brushed the hole, just as his birdie attempt at the 17th.

Earlier, the third round leader from England, Peter Baker, looked to be in control as he built on his single-shot lead going into the final round with two early birdies.

Baker, playing with Woosnam, his 1993 Ryder Cup partner, also had chance for a first win in six years but he missed out on the playoff by bogeying the last to finish a stroke off the play-off trio.

Spain's Jose Rivero, the second round leader, also had the chance to pull off his first success since 1992 when he strung together four birdies coming down the home stretch.

But the 44-year-old veteran then bogeyed the last two holes to lose his victory chance.

His share of fourth place with Baker, though, earned him enough to keep his playing card for next year. The Spaniard had languished in 132nd place coming into the event but his high finish took him safely into the top 115 qualifiers for a card for 2000.

European number one Montgomerie lost his chance of a sixth win of the year with an indifferent closing round. The Scot began just two strokes off the lead but his 72, with one birdie, one bogey and 16 pars, left him four strokes behind the leaders.

His winnings of £25,000 at least kept Garcia at bay at the top of the European order of merit with three events to go. Montgomerie has finished Europe's number one for the last six years.