Five days after Nick Faldo told him to "pull your finger out" and four days after he feared a wrist injury might prevent him from taking part in the Open Championship, Padraig Harrington was tonight celebrating the successful defence of his title.

Compared to last year when he double-bogeyed the last, forcing him into a play-off with Sergio Garcia, his performance today was remarkable for the nervelessness he showed at the end to complete a superb four-stroke victory from Ian Poulter.

On a Royal Birkdale course buffeted by winds that tested competitors to the limit, two birdies and an eagle in the last six holes made the Irishman the first European to retain the Claret Jug since James Braid, of Scotland, in 1906.

The victory also makes him the first Irishman to win two major tournaments, elevates him to No 3 in the world rankings, and makes him only the seventh golfer to have retained the Open since the Second World War, joining Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods.

Poulter, of England, made a terrific late bid, covering the last 10 holes in three under, but the pressure he created only inspired Harrington, who hit birdies on the 13th and 15th and a glorious second to four feet on the 572-yard 17th that effectively clinched victory.

Having completed his eagle on that hole, Harrington hit a par four on the last to finish with a one-under 69, making him three-over for the tournament. Poulter finished on seven-over, with Greg Norman and Henrik Stenson third.

Norman, the 53-year-old overnight leader had started the final round hoping to become the oldest ever winner of a major tournament. He lost the lead with a terrible start, got it back by the turn - after Harrington dropped a shot on three consecutive holes - but was fighting a losing battle when he bogeyed the 13th and 14th.

Harrington, who had not been among the automatic top 10 qualification places for Faldo's European Ryder Cup side but he now tops the standings, parred the first six holes before that stutter and turned one behind Norman. They were back level, though, when Norman bogeyed the 10th, giving the chasing pack at seven-over a glint of opportunity.

Poulter, six behind at the start just as Harrington was last year, bogeyed the first and third, but then turned it into one of the rounds of his life. After a birdie on the 414-yard ninth to turn in 35, the Englishman struck a glorious approach to five feet at the 11th and holed for a birdie.

That put him fourth on the leaderboard while Simon Wakefield, another Englishman. had moved into a tie for second. Without a European Tour win in 210 starts, however, he soon felt the heat and hit bogeys at the 12th and 13th.

At about the same time, Chris Wood, an amateur who had moved into third place after ten holes, dropped back to leave Poulter as the man most likely to catch Harrington and Norman.

Sensing his chance, Poulter holed a 15-footer on the 16th to draw level with Harrington and, after the disappointment of three-putting the long 17th for par and then coming up short of the final green, he sank a 15-foot to save par.

By then, Harrington was six over, one shot ahead of Poulter, so all he needed do was play the last five in level par - providing Norman didn't produce something extraordinary. He didn't but Harrington did with that approach shot to the 17th that made his walk to the final green effectively a victory march.