South African Richard Sterne won the South African Open with a birdie four on the first hole of a play-off against Gareth Maybin.
Westwood's long wait for a win goes on
South African Richard Sterne won the South African Open with a birdie four on the first hole of a play-off against Gareth Maybin of Northern Ireland.
The 27-year-old from Pretoria - who also won last week's Alfred Dunhill Championship - shot a flawless closing 66 to move up from a tie for 11th overnight.
Maybin, who started the day two shots adrift of leader Lee Westwood in a tie for second, had a closing 70.
World number 10 Westwood's extended search for a win will have to wait for 2009, after he slumped to a closing 73. This was his fourth top 10 in his last six starts.
Maybin had a chance to win on the final hole of regulation but saw his birdie putt from eight feet lip out, and when the players returned to the 18th in sudden death Sterne produced a birdie four to claim victory.
Westwood shared third with Rory McIlroy and four-time winner Ernie Els, who had set the early clubhouse target after a scintillating final round of 64.
English pair Richard Finch and Chris Wood - fifth in this year's Open as an amateur - and South African duo Branden Grace and Retief Goosen were a shot further back on 12 under.
Sterne was delighted to get his name alongside the former winners of the world's second oldest Open championship.
Unbelievable
"The SA Open is so prestigious and the names on the trophy are just unbelievable," he said. "To be on there has always been a dream and a goal. I may need to set a few new goals after this one.
"I made a good save on the first hole today from around 15 feet for par and I think that's what kept me in the tournament.
"That was just a massive putt right there. I was quite surprised to see that no one was running away with it.
"Obviously Ernie made a big move, but going into my back nine I just said that if could just get to 14 or 15 under, you never know what can happen coming down the stretch."
Of his missed birdie putt to win in regulation, Maybin said: "I just couldn't keep it straight to be honest. I had a reasonable putt, but just lagged it a little bit.
"Obviously I just came up a little short, but all in all I'm very happy with myself and the way I held up."
Earlier in the day, a poor start by Westwood blew the tournament wide open after he recorded four bogeys in his first eight holes.
Masters debut
A poor start proved costly too for McIlroy after he began with double bogeys on the first and second, but he was faultless thereafter with four birdies and an eagle to cement his place in the world's top 50 and secure his Masters debut next April.
He said: "It's obviously very nice (to be playing in the Masters). It's been an absolutely great year and to get to play at Augusta in my second season, making the top 50 in the world and staying there, I had to go out this week and I played pretty well and I did that. I'm over the moon."
