Garcia chips in to pip Els in play-off

Sergio Garcia holed a chip at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off to pip Ernie Els to the Sun City Challenge in South Africa yesterday.

The Spaniard tied with the two-time defending champion on 20 under after a sizzling final-round 63.

Garcia took the richest first prize in golf of $2 million when he holed from 23 feet on the par-three 16th.

"I played well this year and lost two play-offs so I was looking forward to turning that around," Garcia said after his fourth victory this year.

"The money is great, but the chip on 16 wasn't for $2 million. It was to win the tournament and beat a great field.

"That makes me more proud of this achievement than the money."

Els held a three-shot overnight lead, but his three-under 69, his worst round of the week, was not enough to give him a third successive Sun City title.

Garcia carded pars on the first two holes before bursting into life with an eagle on the par-four third.

He fired in a wedge from just over 100 metres, the ball pitching three feet past and spinning back into the cup.

"El Nino" added birdies at the seventh and ninth for an outward score of 32.

Garcia picked up further shots at the 10th, 12th, 13th and, after a short rain delay, at the 14th to draw level with Els.

The Ryder Cup star took the lead for the first time with a birdie on the 15th, before the South African responded with a birdie at the 14th to level at 20 under.

Garcia birdied the 17th, but gave the shot back after finding trouble on the final hole. He pushed his approach from the middle of the fairway into the right rough and had a nearly impossible chip to get the ball near the pin.

The ball came up 18 feet short and his par putt drifted four feet past.

"I thought I'd lost it on 18. I was trying to cut an eight-iron into the green. But sometimes under pressure you get a bad swing thought and I lost it (to the) right," Garcia said.

Els could not take advantage though, and on the 17th his drive missed the fairway to the right, forcing him to lay up.

He hit the third to six feet and made a difficult par putt to head down the 18th needing a birdie to win.

After making par, Els, who lost in a play-off to Colin Montgomerie here in 1996, was edged out in sudden death by Garcia.

Bernhard Langer capped a solid year of three victories with third place on 17-under par 271 after a 69, one stroke ahead of Canadian Mike Weir, who carded a 68.

Behind Weir, Lee Westwood finished fifth on 13-under followed by Padraig Harrington one stroke behind.

Harrington - after a sizzling, 11-under-par 61 on Saturday - stumbled to a bogey at the first and ninth holes for an outward loop of 38. His first birdie came at the 10th.

Nick Price finished on nine-under par in seventh position, followed two strokes back by Retief Goosen and Thomas Bjorn. Colin Montgomerie, like Goosen, faded on the final two days (72 and 73) to end on six-under.

Most disappointed, after Jim Furyk who was disqualified, would have been Darren Clarke. His 68 on Friday was rather stark amid rounds 75, 74 and a closing 76.