Gareth Maybin insisted he was happy with his lot despite losing out on a first European Tour victory in the cruellest of fashions at the South African Open Championship yesterday.

The Ballyclare player needed a birdie on the last to take the title but lipped the putt and tied with local starRichard Sterne on 14 under par, forcing a play-off.

Maybin then proceeded to drive into a bunker and parred the play-off hole which Sterne birdied to claim the title.

Reflecting on his birdie putt to win in regulation play, Maybin said: "I just could not 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 am very happy with myself and the way I held up."

Playing with outright overnight leader Lee Westwood, Maybin was a surprise frontrunner as the Englishman began poorly.

Maybin, on the other hand, showed absolutely no sign of nerves as he reeled off three birdies in a row from the fifth to open up a two-shot lead at 15 under with Ernie Els in the clubhouse on 13 under after a closing 64.

Despite playing steady golf the putts he had been holing on the front nine refused to drop on the run home but that final putt on the 18th came agonisingly close.

Westwood shared third spot with Rory McIlroy and four-time winner Ernie Els, who had set the clubhouse target after a scintillating final round of 64.

For McIlroy it was a great charge up the leaderboard after he double-bogeyed both his opening holes and with joint third place he has made sure of his place in the top 50 of the world rankings and, therefore, his place at next April’s Masters.

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 play pretty well. I did that and I'm over the moon."

After dropping those four shots in the opening two holes, there

after the young Ulsterman was imperious with an eagle and four birdies.

English pair Richard Finch and Chris Wood - fifth in the Open as an amateur in July - 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.

"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."

The 27-year-old added: "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."

Earlier in the day, Westwood’s poor start blew the tournament wide open, the Ryder Cup player recording four bogeys in his first eight holes.

World number eight Henrik Stenson, the highest ranked player in the field, ended with a disappointing 73 to finish five under.

Belfast’s Michael Hoey would have made it three Ulstermen in the top ten but for a dropped shot on the 15th.

At the time he was in a share for tenth on 11 under having charged up the leaderboard with a scintillating four under 32 on the front nine which included a run of four birdies in a row.

But although he birdied two more holes he also had a double-bogey on the tough tenth as well as that bogey on the 15th to end up in a share of 11th place.

He will be happy with his performance overall having missed the cut the previous week.

Darren Clarke closed with a disappointing six over 78 for a share of 51st.