PADRAIG HARRINGTON CLAWED one shot back on the overnight leader but there was no catching Kiwi Stephen Alker as he held off even sterner challenges by Ernie Els and Stephen Ames to claim the Charles Schwab Championship in Phoenix, Arizona.

Three-time major winner Harrington carded a second consecutive 69 to finish four strokes back from Alker in a tie for fourth, level with Vijay Singh, Thongchai Jaidee and Richard Green.

Harrington had left himself with a significant hill to climb following a mixed-bag, third-round 69 a day prior.

He entered his final round of the Champions Tour’s season-ending tournament five back from Alker but put himself well in the hunt at the turn: birdies on the par-5 first, the par-3 second and the par-4 ninth moved Harrington to three under for his round.

Ultimately, though, his challenge ran out of steam with three costly bogeys on the back nine — on 10, 13 and 17. He still birdied on both 14 and the last, another par 5, to pull level with the second tier of challengers behind Alker.

The Kiwi finished with his worst round of the weekend — a one-under-par 70 — but had taken into Sunday a sufficient advantage to keep at bay the rip-roaring challenges of Els and Ames (65 each).