Denmark's Soren Hansen won the Irish Open with a birdie at the fourth extra hole on Sunday.

The Dane had to come up with an eagle on the final hole to make it into a four-way play-off.

Hansen, 28, then beat Sweden's Niclas Fasth and South Africa's Darren Fichardt on the par-three 17th at Fota Island.

England's Richard Bland had already dropped out at the second extra hole, while Hansen missed a 12-foot birdie putt for victory on the third extra hole.

He had earlier put his second shot into the water beside the 18th at the first hole in the sudden-death play-off.

All four players parred the par-five 18th the first time around after a series of nervy shots, with Fichardt missing a four-footer for the win.

Earlier, all four competitors had to go beneath par on the 18th to make it into the play-off, with Fasth picking up a birdie to join the quartet.

Fichardt had previously birdied the 18th to set the target for the rest on 14 under, before Bland's birdie and Hansen's eagle saw them join him.

In the last group, Thomas Bjorn needed an eagle to join the play-off but his 35-foot putt shaved the cup, while Fasth's 30-foot effort for an eagle, and victory, missed by a whisker.

Hansen's previous best finish on the Tour was second in the 2001 Omega European Masters and he was delighted to have finally broken his duck.

Cracking drive

"I'd been playing well for a few weeks so I felt this was coming," he said.

"At the 18th I knew I needed an eagle to get into the play-off and hit a cracking drive.

"I then wanted to hit a nine-iron but my caddie Tim (Tim King, formerly Swede Per-Ulrik Johansson's Ryder Cup caddie) persuaded me to hit a wedge and it was perfect, bang on.

"But I thought it was all over after I went into the water at the first play-off hole.

"Then Darren and Richard missed short ones.

"My adrenalin had gone but then all of a sudden it got going again and I definitely had it when I hit into the fourth play-off hole."

Play-off:

Fourth extra hole (17th, 222 yds, par three):
Hansen (2), Fasth (3), Fichardt (3)

Third extra hole (1st, 409 yds, par four):
Fichardt (4), Hansen (4), Fasth (4)

Second extra hole (18th, 507 yds, par five):
Fasth (4), Fichardt (4), Hansen (4), Bland (5)

First extra hole (18th):
Fichardt (5), Hansen (5), Fasth (5), Bland (5)

Leaderboard after 72 holes (GB and Ireland unless stated):

14 under:
Darren Fichardt (Rsa) (67)
Richard Bland (67)
Soren Hansen (Den) (68)
Niclas Fasth (Swe) (68)

13 under:
Thomas Bjorn (Den) (70)

10 under:
Padraig Harrington (66)
Eamonn Darcy (66)
Stuart Little (69)
Joakim Haeggman (Swe) (70)
Soren Kjeldsen (Den) (70)
Alex Cejka (Ger) (71)
Eduardo Romero (Arg) (71)

Selected others:

7 under:
Lee Westwood (70)
Sandy Lyle (72)

6 under:
Colin Montgomerie (70)

5 under:
Adam Scott (Aus) (69)
Darren Clarke (73)

3 under:
Ian Woosnam (71)

2 under:
Justin Rose (72)

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