Close pal Paul McGinley paid tribute to new European No 1 Padraig Harrington - and his run of good luck.

McGinley said: "Obviously well done and good luck to him. It is obviously well deserved. He got lucky, he knows that but you take your breaks and it is a great achievement and great to win.

"Sergio making five from the middle of the fairway, the odds were against that. But that will all be forgotten in ten years time when you see on the CV that he has won the Order of Merit. So it is a great thing to have on your CV."

McGinley finished tied for 18th on three over par after a closing 72 - blaming his score on an abysmal day on the greens.

But his thoughts were with Harrington, whose 30th career second place finish will also the sweetest.

McGinley agreed with that assessement, adding: "Exactly. He said all week that he didn't like the golf course and hasn't played well here. But he was probably using a bit of psychology with all that to get himself ready.

"All in all it was a good performance and second was very good under the circumstances. So all credit to him."

As for his own game he said: "I've putted absolutely abysmally. I had 34 putts, you can't compete at this level with 34 putts.

"I have made silly mistakes. The second hole today I had a 30 footer for birdie and left it a foot short in the jaws and leaning over Ian Poulter's line, so I wouldn't stand in his line and it spun out. You can't afford to make mistakes like that at this level and that's really criminal.

"I got punished because it is so hard to make a birdie on these holes and missing for a foot is stupid. I was afraid of my spikes, which were tearing up the greens."

The Dubliner has five weeks off now before he joins forces with Harrington in the Barbados World Cup at Sandy Lane in December.

He added: "If it weren't for the World Cup I would be calling it a day for the season already."