LEE WESTWOOD relieved Rory McIlroy of his lead in the European Tour's Race to Dubai yesterday as he sealed an emotional victory in the Portugal Masters with the shot of a lifetime on the par five 17th hole at The Oceanico Victoria course in Vilamoura.

McIlroy spent 13 days on top of the European money list following his tie for second in the Dunhill Links at St Andrews. However, he now trails Westwood by €209,244 after the Englishman's €500,000 jackpot on the Portuguese Algarve.

With two other front-runners in the Race to Dubai, Martin Kaymer and Paul Casey, scheduled to return from lengthy injury breaks in the next fortnight, the European season is heading for a riveting climax.

Westwood (36) and his young 20-year-old stablemate at International Sports Management, McIlroy, meet again next week at the Volvo Match Play on Spain's Costa del Sol, followed by the $7m HSBC World Championship in Shanghai, the Hong Kong Open and The Dubai World Championship.

Padraig Harrington earned €187,800 in third place after a final round 67 yesterday. His seventh top-10 finish in eight outings lifted the Dubliner to 15th place in the Race to Dubai, €1.185m behind Westwood.

However, Harrington left Portugal believing he'd have to win all three of his scheduled remaining events (next week's Singapore Open, the $7m HSBC World Championship and Dubai World Championship) if he's to overtake Westwood, given the enormous confidence-boost this formidable English campaigner will take from his 19th European Tour victory and his first in over two years.

Just like McIlroy, who pocketed €24,128 in a tie for 30th with Shane Lowry, among others, Harrington emerged from a sun-scorched week wondering what might have been had he not lost confidence in his putting.

"Obviously, I struggled all week on the greens," said the World No 7, who had matched his career-low round with a sensational 62 on Friday.

Yet a lacklustre 71 on Saturday left Harrington six shots off the pace set by Retief Goosen entering the final round and, it seemed, with too much ground to make up.

confidence

"I'd lost my confidence in reading the short putts and in hitting them and missed a few today," he added.

"I couldn't afford to do that, though Saturday is the round I'll look back on.

"In hindsight, I just got dehydrated, which explains a lot about the round -- even my trainer noticed watching at home on TV," explained Harrington, who, famously, encountered the same problem on Friday at the 2008 US PGA but bounced back at the weekend to claim his third Major title. By comparison, Saturday's bout was relatively minor, he revealed.

Harrington's mission yesterday merely was "to go as low as possible" and, after playing the front nine in two-under, he missed from four feet for birdie at 11; rekindled his hopes with back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13 and then let another opportunity slip through his fingers at 14.

A three-putt bogey at 18, where he hit his aggressive 30-foot birdie attempt five feet past and missed the one back, left Harrington on 19-under and praying "that, at the very least, 23-under wins."

Harrington could sleep easy after Westwood hit precisely that target, courtesy of a closing 66. As Goosen stalled badly on his way to a final round 75, Westwood ripped into the lead with four birdies in the first four holes of his final round.

Italian Francesco Molinari made a fight of it. However, his challenge expired when he missed putts from inside four feet at 16 (for par) and 17 (for birdie).

Molinari had looked on from the fairway on the par five as Westwood played a miracle 30 yards blind shot from the middle of the crowd behind the green, his ball rolling just inches past for the birdie which effectively clinched the title.

"I can't think I've ever played a better chip and I don't ever want to play one again," said Westwood, his eyes filling up after a victory which brings to a conclusion an agonising series of close calls at tournaments especially July's Open where he missed a playoff by one stroke after three-putting the last.

McIlroy also shot 66 on the final day, despite a double-bogey after hooking his drive into water at the last, while Lowry picked up a morale-boosting four birdies in the final five of holes of his fourth round 70.

Gareth Maybin earned €28,950 in a tie for 26th with Paul McGinley after a 74 yesterday, while a closing 76 sent Peter Lawrie sliding out of contention into 37th place (worth €20,400).

Irish Independent