Padraig Harrington fell to an agonising defeat on the second playoff hole at the Senior Open Championship.
A round of four-over par on a day when Royal Porthcawl bore its teeth was enough for Harrington to secure a playoff with eventual winner Alex Cejka, though a missed eagle putt on the final hole of regulation would have sealed a dramatic win for the Dubliner.
With near 55km/h winds swirling by the Welsh cost, both men made Birdie on the first playoff hole, with Harrington again nearly draining a long-range Eagle putt that would have earned the three-time major winner a second senior major title after his US Open exploits last year.
Standing on the 18th fairway on the second playoff hole with 188 yards left to the flag, Harrington hit an iron over the green into the rough.
With a fluffy lie, the 51-year-old took a wedge to try and fly the ball to the hole but horribly misjudged his shot and could only advance the ball a couple of yards.
The Irishman had to make do with Par while Cejka, who hit the green with his approach shot, set up a simple Birdie putt to win his second Senior Major Championship.
For Harrington, it was another dose of playoff heartbreak having been bested by Steve Stricker in the Senior PGA Championship back in May.
Had Harrington won, he would have become only the fifth player in history to win both The Open and Senior Open Championships.
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