All hail the latest champion from South Africa. Youngster Anton Haig prevailed in a nerve-wracking play-off to beat countryman Richard Sterne and Englishman Oliver Wilson and emerge as the surprise winner of the US$2.44-million Johnnie Walker Classic at the Blue Canyon Country Club yesterday.

The 20-year-old from Johannesburg sent in a 10-foot sizzler of a birdie putt on the 18th to dash the hopes of overnight leader Sterne and Wilson. The last two could only save par after the threesome completed their round tied at 13-under 275.

It was the maiden European Tour title for Haig who was trailing by a stroke but hit a brilliant wedge shot from 98 yards to three feet to join the play-off with the more experienced Sterne and Wilson.

"It feels absolutely amazing. Start of the week I didn't think this was actually going to happen," said Haig, who stole the limelight from elite compatriots Ernie Els and Retief Goosen in the tri-sanctioned event.

"But after that 64 [in round 2], I knew I was hitting the ball good enough to win, and thank God that driver went straight today and the putts fell. And the putt on the last, what a feeling that was," said Haig, who won a title after just 17 appearances on the European Tour. His best finish before was a tied 23rd at the 2005 Alfred Dunhill Championship and 2007 HSCB Champions.

Haig, who gets a two-year exemption on the European Tour, and Wilson had been frantically chasing Sterne and at one stage the trio shared the lead at 12-under on the sixth hole. The South African's campaign, however, appeared to collapse on the 17th where he bogeyed, but showing nerves of steel he bounced back like a true champion.

"I thought I had lost the tournament there. But I got a good break. The ball was lying on a slope but hit a great lob-wedge, one of the best shots I've ever executed," said Haig, who jumped for joy and pointed his fingers towards his parents Lorraine and Tony, who flew in to support their son, after sealing the win.

"Having my parents out for the first time in Asia means a lot to me when I've won the biggest tournament of my life. Hope there will be more to come and I will keep fighting and be as good as Ernie and Retief one day," said Haig who takes home ¤310,801 (Bt14.6 million).

Sterne tightly held the top position until the 17th where he missed an eight-foot putt to lose the lead, allowing Wilson to level at 13.

"It was close - what could I do. I played my best but it didn't go the way I wanted it to go. It's great for Anton. I'm disappointed but I did my best," said Sterne. He almost birdied in the play-off but his eight-foot putt refused to go in after clipping the edge.

"It's been a good week. It shows anything can happen in golf. I'm just going home and rest now," added Sterne, who was presented with a cheque ¤161,946, the same as Wilson.

Wilson saw the chance to claim his first European title slip away after his approach shot fell far from the flag in the play-off. "He [Haig] did well. I had my chances and didn't take them. I didn't get the ball within 20 feet. That was disappointing," said Wilson, who shot a 71.

Asia's best contender turned out to be Indian Gaurav Ghei, who saved the best for the last by shooting a course record 64, catapulting himself from 50th to joint sixth with a total of eight-under 280.

The 38-year-old from New Delhi started superbly with an eagle in his opening hole before collecting six more birdies for a bogey-free round. "When I hit that approach shot on the first hole, it looked really good and I heard it hit the pin. On the first day, on the 10th hole, my playing partner Jean-Francois Lucquin hit the pin and ended 30 feet back. On the 11th hole, Scott Strange hit the pin and ended 30 feet back.

"So, my first reaction was 'I hope it's on the green'. Then the guys around the green didn't realise what had happened and suddenly they figured out it's gone in and then they go   'yeah!' "

He became the third player apart from Haig and Sterne to equal Greg Norman's mark this week.

"It was unreal. It was great to play a round like that on a course like this,' said Guarav, who has won on the Asian Tour twice - the 1995 Gadgil Western Masters and 2006 Mercuries Taiwan Masters.

Ghei, who needed only 23 putts all day, signed off in equally superb style when he rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt at the last.

Wilson, Weekley in contention

nMark Wilson has been to the US PGA Tour's qualifying school for 10 straight years, and has got so used to the drill that he just assumes it'll be part of his schedule. And Boo Weekley is probably best known for wearing camouflage pants and tennis shoes earlier in his career.

An unlikely pair, for certain.

But they'll be the final group at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Both shot 4-under 66s on Saturday in the third round at PGA National, good enough to put Wilson atop the leaderboard at 6 under and Weekley alone in second, one shot behind entering the final round.

Lerpong Amsa-ngiam

The Nation

Phuket