HEIDELBERG, Germany, 24 May 2004 — Trevor Immelman of South Africa dethroned Ireland’s Padraig Harrington as Deutsche Bank-SAP champion here yesterday edging a thrilling battle down the home stretch with a birdie at the last.

Immelman finished with a seven-under 65 to 66 for Harrington who missed an eight-footer to force a playoff.

With overnight leader Gregory Havret of France buckling in the first few holes and both Darren Clarke and Ernie Els unable to mount much of a challenge it soon boiled down to a two-horse race between the Irishman and the South African.

They traded birdies coming down the back nine with Immelman in the pairing ahead of Harrington and it came down to who could hold their nerves best on the tricky par-four 18th.

Immelman hit a magnificent second over the water to eight feet and made the putt for a birdie. Minutes later Harrington had the same length of putt to force a play-off but the ball slid past.

Harrington was the defending champion having defeated Thomas Bjorn of Denmark in a playoff last year.

Immelman pocketed half a million euros for his win, his second on the European Tour this year after the South African Open in January.

Sizzling 61 Lifts Campbell Into Share of PGA Lead

In Fort Worth, Texas, Chad Campbell matched a course record Saturday with a sizzling 61 to jump from 43rd to a share of the lead after the third round of The Colonial.

The last players to shoot 61 at the Colonial Country Club were defending champion Kenny Perry and Justin Leonard, another Texas native. Both did it last year.

Campbell moved into a tie with Brian Gay and Steve Flesch. The trio completed 54 holes at eight-under 202, two shots ahead of Zach Johnson. Sweden’s Jesper Parnevik and New Zealander Craig Perks are tied for fifth at 205.

Campbell shot a 61 despite two bogeys on the front. He played the first three holes in four-under, holing a six-footer for eagle on the first hole before consecutive birdies.

Gay, who missed the cut in his last three starts and is just 143rd on the money list, also threatened the course record and led by as many as three shots on the back nine. But he bogeyed 14, 16 and 18 and signed for a 65.

Gay finished out of the top 125 last year for the first time since his 1998 rookie season and needed Qualifying School in the fall to regain his card. His best finish this year is a tie for 14th at the BellSouth Classic.