John Daly equalled a European Tour record in achieving his first win for six years.

The 35-year-old American, who has been through a second spell of alcohol rehabilitation and a third broken marriage since capturing the 1995 Open at St Andrews, beat Ireland's Padraig Harrington with a last-hole birdie in the BMW International Open in Munich.

Daly finished with an incredible 27 under par total, which matched the previous European tour record of Canadian Jerry Anderson at the Swiss Open 17 years ago.

An asterisk might have to be placed alongside Daly's achievement because placing the ball was allowed on the saturated fairways in the third round.

But as far as the most colourful character in the sport was concerned, this was his greatest week since he beat all the world's best over the Old Course.

And Daly, who has not touched a drop of alcohol for 12 months, was happy to hand over part of his prize - a bottle of champagne - to the assembled media.

"I feel great," he said. "It's been a long six years. I think 1999 was my worst year ever and it was a difficult point - I had to go forward or something else.

"But I don't have anything else to do. That's the problem. Golf's been my whole life since I was four."

Harrington was level on the last tee but after being out-driven massively on the 568-yard hole he felt he had to go for the green and carved a three-wood into water.

Daly was just off the putting surface in two and after seeing Harrington pitch close he chipped to two feet and made the putt for a closing 66 to Harrington's 68.

It was the Dubliner's sixth runners-up finish of the season and the 14th of his career. His last win was the Madrid Open last October.

World number 176 Daly - he fell outside the top 300 during all his off-course troubles - had become better known for high scores and wild living.

But he never gave up hope of winning again and believes a key factor was taking himself off medicine prescribed to him to combat depression.

Depression he maintains he never had. "I've got rid of all the bad stuff and I feel a totally different person," he said. "It's given me energy I didn't have before. I felt like a rat before."

He paid tribute to golf followers the world over as well.

"Fans have hung in there through the ups and downs and stuff. A lot of them relate to what I've been through and I can relate to them," Daly said.

"I think I'm better than my world ranking and I wouldn't have kept playing if I didn't think I could still win. Slowly but surely my game came back.

"I'm sure a lot of people gave up on me, but I hadn't. I'm a fighter."

Harrington said: "I don't seem to be able to stumble into a win no matter what I do.

"I can't be disappointed because I drove the ball the best I have ever driven it. At the start of the week I would have taken 26 under and I probably would have taken it at the start of the day.

"But it does not help your confidence when you go out leading, play well and lose. There you go.

"It's nice to see John back in the winner's enclosure. Off the tee he hit it superbly. I knew it was going to go all the way and he really never missed a drive all day.

"He did everything that he is known for from his two major wins (the other was the 1991 US PGA). Anybody can hit it long, but it's the fact that he was so straight.

"He is a lovely putter, has a lovely touch and it adds up to a very nice player."

Harrington led by two when Daly bogeyed the fourth, but a birdie to a bogey two holes later brought them level and after an exchange of birdies on the eighth and ninth the Irishman went ahead again with a four on the long 11th.

Both birdied the 153-yard 12th and Daly, close to the green with his drive down the 372-yard 13th, chipped to three feet to square matters up again.

On the 319-yard 16th he drove the green and two-putted, but Harrington stayed on terms by pitching to six feet.

Because of his disadvantage in length Harrington wanted to be ahead coming to the last, but missed a nine-foot chance and paid for it.

Frenchman Thomas Levet was third on 20 under, but like Scot Dean Robertson in joint fourth he needed to win to knock Phillip Price out of the Ryder Cup team and with the top two racing away from the field, that never looked on.

Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal could have solved a problem for cup captain Sam Torrance if one of them had won, but Garcia was joint seventh and Olazabal 13th.

That left Torrance to announce whether it was Olazabal or Jesper Parnevik for his second wild card, Garcia having already been guaranteed the first.

Collated final totals in the BMW International Open at Munchen Nord-Eichenried, Munich, Germany (Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):

261 J Daly (USA) 63 64 68 66 (£189,352)

262 P Harrington 69 63 62 68 (£126,234)

268 T Levet (Fra) 70 66 64 68 (£71,120)

269 D Robertson 64 69 69 67, C Hanell (Swe) 71 65 66 67, R Russell 68 66 66 69 (£48,246 each)

270 P Casey 69 67 69 65, J Rose 67 69 68 66, S Garcia (Spa) 67 67 69 67

271 S Kjeldsen (Den) 65 70 71 65, P McGinley 70 66 68 67, D Carter 69 66 68 68

272 C Montgomerie 69 69 68 66, R Jacquelin (Fra) 68 67 70 67, JM Olazabal (Spa) 70 62 70 70

273 W Bennett 69 68 69 67, C Pettersson (Swe) 66 69 70 68, B Langer (Ger) 67 69 69 68, P O'Malley (Aus) 71 67 66 69, T Bjorn (Den) 65 67 65 76

274 A Cejka (Ger) 69 66 69 70, R Gonzalez (Arg) 67 68 69 70

276 S Lyle 69 71 71 65, M Lundberg (Swe) 72 68 70 66, A Scott (Aus) 67 64 77 68, S Dodd 69 70 69 68, F Andersson (Swe) 69 68 69 70, R Goosen (Rsa) 68 69 68 71, F Jacobson (Swe) 68 66 68 74

277 R Claydon 70 70 72 65, G Turner (Nzl) 69 70 71 67, P Lawrie 70 70 69 68, S Tinning (Den) 74 66 69 68, A Hansen (Den) 69 69 70 69, J Rystrom (Swe) 67 70 70 70, S Gallacher 67 70 68 72

278 M Brier (Aut) 72 68 70 68, G Havret (Fra) 68 70 70 70, B Lane 69 69 70 70, J Berendt (Arg) 69 67 71 71, I Woosnam 69 67 71 71, M Mouland 68 68 70 72, R Coles 72 66 68 72, J Senden (Aus) 68 67 70 73, B Rumford (Aus) 68 68 69 73

279 C Suneson (Spa) 72 68 70 69, D Botes (Rsa) 70 70 69 70, A Forsyth 68 66 74 71, R Wessels (Rsa) 66 70 72 71, G Orr 68 69 71 71, M Ilonen (Fin) 71 68 68 72, N Dougherty 71 68 68 72

280 I Garrido (Spa) 68 72 71 69, M Lafeber (Ned) 72 68 71 69, J Haeggman (Swe) 67 71 71 71, R Karlsson (Swe) 70 68 71 71, S Scahill (Nzl) 71 66 71 72, G Storm 71 69 68 72, R Green (Aus) 63 69 75 73

281 D Park 68 71 74 68, G Owen 69 67 74 71, P Mitchell 68 70 72 71, E Romero (Arg) 71 67 71 72, N Fasth (Swe) 67 71 71 72, A Oldcorn 67 69 70 75

282 P Fulke (Swe) 69 71 72 70, B Davis 68 68 74 72, T Johnstone (Zim) 66 71 72 73, M Farry (Fra) 67 67 75 73, D Lynn 70 69 70 73, T Immelman (Rsa) 70 69 69 74, J Bickerton 67 68 72 75

283 J Lomas 66 71 74 72

284 S Hansen (Den) 68 70 78 68

285 M James 72 67 74 72

286 J Sandelin (Swe) 69 71 70 76

287 A Coltart 69 71 74 73

289 S Struver (Ger) 71 69 76 73

294 P Sjoland (Swe) 74 66 78 76