Harrington and Raphael Jacquelin both shot 67s to share second place with Lonard fourth and Paul Broadhurst in a three-way tie for fifth place.

Rumford bogeyed the final hole but finished with a 14-under-par total of 274 on the windy 7,031-yard Baltray links on the northeast coast of Ireland.

"Perth is the third windiest city in the world and that's where I learned to play golf," The Australian said.

His only previous success on the European Tour was in last year's St Omer Open in France, a co-sanctioned event with a weak field run during the same week as the U.S. Open.

"You feel mentally drained but I am burning inside. There is no feeling like this," he said.

"Your stomach just grinds the whole day. There is no stage out there when you feel you can relax and feel you have the tournament in the bag.

"I just tried to play my own game and keep the rest of the field out of my mind. That got me through the week," he said. "I am as proud as punch."

He said the best thing about his win was that friends and family back home "who have been through it with me since day one are feeling what I am feeling right now. That's the best feeling, knowing they are ecstatic back home."

The victory earns Rumford a tour exemption until the end of 2006 and gets him into the field for the NEC-World Championship event at Firestone in Akron next month.

"I didn't know that," Rumford said.

At least Harrington started well with three opening birdies, in contrast to his previous rounds when he took him a while to get untracked.

"I could see the error of my ways from the first few days. I can look back at the first three rounds and say I threw away a lot of golf shots," he said.

The last Australian to win the title was Ossie Pickford in 1950.

Broadhurst fired a 70 to finish tied at eight under par with Andrew Oldcorn and Paul McGinley.

The Warwickshire man said it had been "a good week.

"I played pretty well the last three days. I played well the first day too but I didn't make any putts. It was similar today. I had a lot of chances but kept sliding them by," he added.

He said Rumford's performance was "exceptional today in this wind. I was probably never going to win it but I was pleased at the way I played. I was a little disappointed I didn't make a few more putts.

"In general I played pretty steady. My ball striking was not bad, though there were a couple of loose ones.

"I'm just pleased I played a good last round. I've been in contention a couple of times this year and haven't broken par until today. That was something that was bugging me. So I've

conquered that," he said.

Robert Rock also had a steady week that earned him a share of 22nd spot and was pleased at the improvement in his game after rounds of 72-70-72-70.

Rock said: "It's been okay. A 70 today after I started with a double bogey. So I'm reasonably happy with that.

"I missed a lot of chances on the back nine, so there was potential for a lot better there. But it's been a better finish for me than most this year so I'm quite pleased.

"Yeah, the wind's been tough. I don't know how it was playing compared to the last two days because I actually hit some better shots.

"The game's getting a little bit closer to where it was and hopefully,with the work I've been doing, it will be better in the end.

After his double bogey start, Rock birdied the third and fourth then parred the next 12 before collecting two more birdies right at the end.

While he was pleased, Steve Webster was disappointed by his second successive 74 that left him tied 74th.

"I didn't play well today. I struggled. I wasn't aggressive enough, useless, disappointing," he said.

"I know I'd have had to shoot a real low one to win it or get up there. But I had a bad start. I was hitting a nine-iron second shot into the par-five second but made five. I was short and right and three-putted.

"I struggled all day then. It was tough weather but there were some good scores out there.

"It was one of those things. We live on," he said.