RICHARD STERNE WINS JOBURG
OPEN AFTER THREE-WAY
PLAY-OFF v CARLSSON, MULROY

FROM THE SUNSHINE TOUR WEBSITE:
Pretoria’s Richard Sterne, pictured right with the trophy, returned to the European and Sunshine Tour's winner's circle for the third time as he claimed the Joburg Open title in a thrilling sudden-death playoff at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club, South Africa today.
Sweden’s Magnus Carlsson and Garth Mulroy, born in Durban but based in the United States, were the other participants in the play-off - after a triple tie on 13-under-par 271. Sterne's last round was a five-under-par 65 while Carlsson and Mulroy both shot 66. The latter pair seemed to have the advantage when Sterne drove into a fairway bunker on the first extra hole.
But the diminutive 26-year-old produced an astonishing stroke to stay alive. With the ball nestling close to the lip of the bunker, Sterne called a four-iron into service and he fired it all of 200 metres to land 15 feet from the hole.
He called it a crucial moment in his triumph.
“It was close all day so it required some special things to win. That was a pretty impressive shot, even if I say so myself.
“I thought about laying up, but it was a play-off and a 50-50 shot, so it was on,” Sterne said. Neither Carlsson nor Mulroy could improve on Sterne’s birdie 4 on the par-5 18th hole, where the play-off was staged.
So the trio went back to the tee and this time Carlsson and Mulroy could not recover from their errant drives into the fairway bunker.
Sterne slotted a big drive into the fairway and then hit a fantastic approach shot to within 10 feet of the flag, from where he two-putted for victory.
Overnight leader Mark Murless was left crying over a putter that routinely missed from close range as he slipped to a two-over-par 73 that left him on nine-under 275 overall and in a tie for fifth.
Former amateur star Louis Moolman made a telling charge on the front nine and holed his approach shot on the par-4 10th for an eagle 2 that gave him a share of the lead with Mulroy on 11-under.
The 21-year-old would come undone on the back nine with three bogeys, but his fifth-place finish was a fantastic effort in his first professional tournament.
Ditto Tyrone Ferreira. South Africa's No 1 amateur in 2007, who began the day in a tie for second two strokes behind Murless, shot a one-over-par 72 to finish eighth.
A bogey on the par-four first hole landed Sterne with a five-stroke deficit from the outset, but he dug deep and four birdies on the back nine saw him surge past Murless, Sven Struver and Ferreira, who were all in the final three-ball.
Birdies on the last two holes completed Sterne’s takeover, but he needed two extra holes to shake off Mulroy and Carlsson.
Mulroy was already on 13-under after a brilliant tee-shot set up a birdie on the par-3 16th, but he could only par the last two holes.
Carlsson, a little-known Challenge Tour graduate, emerged as an unlikely contender with three birdies on each loop, including a birdie-birdie finish that at least guaranteed a hefty pay day if not a maiden European Tour victory.
Darren Clarke, 13 under par for the last three rounds after opening with a 73, said his game was "almost there" after a 68 left him in fourth place, while defending champion Ariel Canete shared ninth place with Englishmen Ian Garbutt and Paul Waring, South African Dawie van der Walt and Struver on seven-under.
Sterne, who seemed immune to the pressures as he cruised through the final holes, admitted afterwards that the exciting win had taken its toll.
“It was a tough day and it took a lot out of me. I haven’t felt great the last couple of days, but I surprised myself today,” Sterne said as his triumph sank in.
“I hate finishing tied second with guys, so the last two holes were really big.
“On 17 I was 90 yards out and I hit a very good shot and then made a good four-foot putt. And then I hit two very good shots on 18 and gave myself a chance.”
The informed word along the fairways and golf club corridors is that Sterne is South Africa’s next big star and 2008 will be a big year for the former amateur star.
“It’s always nice to do well in the first event of the year. I’ll be going to the United States, which will be a learning curve. Going to the Masters has always been a dream, so that will be exciting. There are so many stories about Augusta and now I can see them first hand,” he said.
Sterne has made his name in Europe as one of the more talented young golfers around; American fans could well be introduced to his exciting skills before the year is out.
Rookie Craig Lee and Stephen Gallagher were the top Scots in joint 25th place on 280.

Scots' placings:
280 Craig Lee 74 68 68 70, Stephen Gallacher 70 70 70 70 (jt 25th) (10,245 Euros each).
283 Andrew McArthur 73 69 68 73 (jt 46th) (5,170 Euros).
286 David Drysdale 67 73 73 73 (jt 63rd( (2,805 Euros).

FULL SCOREBOARD
Par 284 (4 x 71)
271 Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 70 66 69 66, Garth Mulroy (Rsa) 67 72 66 66, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 71 68 67 65 (Sterne won sudden-death play-off at second extra hole).
273 Darren Clarke 73 65 67 68
275 Louis Moolman (Rsa) 68 69 69 69, Chris Williams (Rsa) 73 65 67 70, Mark Murless (Rsa) 65 68 69 73
276 Tyrone Ferreira (Rsa) 65 70 69 72
277 Sven Struver (Ger) 67 71 66 73, Paul Waring 69 67 69 72, Ariel Canete (Arg) 70 70 70 67, Dawie Van der Walt (Rsa) 74 65 68 70, Ian Garbutt 71 69 68 69
278 Iain Pyman 68 68 73 69, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 70 69 70 69, Warren Abery (Rsa) 70 65 71 72, Jake Roos (Rsa) 71 71 67 69, Justin Walters (Rsa) 73 67 69 69, Ross McGowan 66 75 64 73, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 68 73 67 70
279 Chris Gane 73 69 70 67, Lee S James 72 68 68 71, James Kamte (Rsa) 68 71 70 70, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 66 68 70 75
280 Gary Lockerbie 67 71 70 72, Craig Lee 74 68 68 70, Stephen Gallacher 70 70 70 70, Liam Bond 70 71 70 69, Kyron Sullivan 74 67 67 72, Dave Horsey 72 69 69 70, Trevor Fisher Jnr (Rsa) 68 73 71 68
281 Martin Wiegele (Aut) 71 68 71 71, John Mellor 69 71 69 72, Marcel Siem (Ger) 68 71 70 72, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 68 74 69 70, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 70 72 71 68, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 72 70 68 71, Robert Rock 74 65 68 74, Gary Boyd 68 69 70 74, Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa) 70 71 68 72
282 Oliver Bekker (Rsa) 67 74 69 72, James Kingston (Rsa) 68 73 72 69, Jbe Kruger (Rsa) 72 70 68 72, Andre Cruse (Rsa) 69 68 72 73, Charl Coetzee (Rsa) 68 67 72 75
283 Brandon Pieters (Rsa) 70 68 69 76, Joakim Backstrom (Swe) 68 68 72 75, Richard Bland 68 74 68 73, Alex Haindl (Rsa) 68 68 76 71, Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 71 71 72 69, Ben Mason 70 72 69 72, Craig Lile (Rsa) 70 72 71 70, Andrew McArthur 73 69 68 73, Marcus Higley 68 72 69 74
284 Florian Praegant (Aut) 74 65 74 71, Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa) 70 72 74 68, Edward Rush 70 69 73 72, Marco Soffietti (Ita) 70 72 71 71
285 Sion Bebb 66 73 73 73, Juan Abbate (Arg) 76 66 73 70, Marco Ruiz (Par) 67 71 76 71, Benoit Teilleria (Fra) 71 70 69 75
286 David Drysdale 67 73 73 73, Branden Grace (Rsa) 76 65 71 74, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 70 71 73 72, Deane Pappas (Rsa) 72 69 73 72
287 Prinavin Nelson (Rsa) 68 72 77 70, Brett Liddle (Rsa) 74 66 74 73, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 70 72 72 73
288 Jan Are Larsen (Nor) 73 69 70 76, Werner Geyer (Rsa) 70 72 72 74, Ryan Reid (Rsa) 67 75 71 75
289 Jamie Donaldson 70 71 72 76, Doug McGuigan 71 71 72 75
290 Warren Bennett 69 72 73 76
291 Henk Alberts (Rsa) 71 71 74 75, Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 75 67 75 74, Teboho Sefatsa (Rsa) 68 74 77 72
292 Bobby Lincoln (Rsa) 71 71 78 72
293 Gary Emerson 69 72 74 78