Until this season, he was just another Swedish professional, one of many, on the European Tour.

In the gathering gloom at Valderrama last evening, Fredrik Jacobson - whose skin-tight clothing would probably be more common on a fashion catwalk than a golf course - won the Volvo Masters, his third win of the season, and confirmed his emergence as one of Europe's brightest stars. Think majors, think Ryder Cup, think anything. When he plays well, nothing is beyond him.

To win, the 29-year-old Swede had to do it the hard way. In the season-ending finale to the European season, Jacobson was forced to play 28 holes of golf yesterday. The first six comprised the conclusion to his third round, the next 18 belonged to his regulation fourth round, and what followed was anything but regulation golf, as he went head-to-head with Spain's Carlos Rodiles.

In the end, Jacobson separated himself from Rodiles at the fourth play-off hole, after the pair had shot identical final rounds of 70 to finish on 12-under-par 276, three strokes clear of third-placed Brian Davis.

"I had to be tough mentally to stay in the battle," he remarked.

While Rodiles, who had never won in any of his 111 previous tournaments, sought to savour a maiden success, Jacobson rode his luck in the play-off to confirm, if there was ever any doubt, that he has blossomed into a real quality player. He had played 160 tournaments prior to the 2003 season without a win; but this latest title win was his third in his last 18 starts. It was also his biggest, earning him a cheque for ?583,330, and brought his official earnings for a season over the ?1 million mark for the first time in his career.

The statistic will show that Jacobson became the first wire-to-wire winner of the Volvo Masters, but it won't show that he had to show resilience when faced with impending disaster. On the 17th, a par five of 536 yards that is loved and hated in equal measure, Jacobson had stood on the tee with a one-shot lead over Rodiles. But he proceeded to snap hook his drive, was lucky to find the ball and played the recovery shot back towards the fairway, only to put his approach into the water that guards the green like a hungry watchdog. He could only salvage a double-bogey seven to Rodiles's birdie, and the pendulum had swung away from him.

Yet, two strokes behind playing the 18th, a quirky hole where the hard part is to find the fairway off the tee, Jacobson refused to back off. With Rodiles in the trees left, Jacobson's nine-iron approach from 151 yards landed three feet from the cup. He rolled in the birdie putt, and the best Rodiles could manage was a bogey. For the second year in a row, the tournament went to extra-time; but, on this occasion, there was to be no gentlemanly handshake to share the title, as Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie did last year.

This time, Jacobson and Rodiles, like two young lion cubs, fought to the end; and, for much of it, the Spaniard held the upper hand. It was Jacobson who had to salvage par from the trees on the 18th, the first play-off hole; and, on the second play-off hole, again the 18th, it was Jacobson who had to pitch and putt after missing the green to get his par. On the third play-off hole, the 10th, Jacobson's three wood looked as if it was destined to finish in the water, but stopped an inch away from the hazard line. "That was quite incredible, I had someone looking out for me there," he remarked. Again, they halved the hole in pars.

Then, fate struck. Rodiles pushed his drive on the fourth play-off hole, the 18th, into the trees on the right.

Jacobson's three wood found the fairway, and his approach landed six feet from the hole. Rodiles could only play out sideways, and his third shot finished 25 feet away. His putt ran four feet by, and Jacobson had two putts to win. He took them.

It capped a marvellous season for Jacobson, who won the Hong Kong and Algarve Portuguese Opens while also finishing fifth at the US Open and sixth at the British Open. "I've been better mentally this year, a lot more focused. One of my main goals is to play in the Ryder Cup and I am getting closer to that now. As for the majors? I'm now in all four next year, for the first time. I'll just keep preparing the way I did this year. It worked, so why change?"

For the Irish players competing, it proved to be a disappointing finish to the European season. Darren Clarke finished second in the Order of Merit, but his final round 72 for one-over 289 left him finishing in tied-13th. "I had 123 putts, and that's way too many," said Clarke.

And Padraig Harrington, who was third in the money list, shot a final round 70 to finish on two-over 290. "I visited too many trees, and you can't do that around Valderrama. There are some courses that fit your eye, but this is not one of them," he said, adding: "It's a course that suits the shorter hitter, someone who manipulates the ball. I tend to play like the modern player, try to hit it high and hard. That's not the best way to play this golf course."

Paul McGinley, at least, finished his tournament with a sub-par round, 71 for seven-over 295, but struggled on the greens - he also had 123 putts over the four rounds - while Peter Lawrie, set to be named 'rookie of the year' later this week, shot 72 for 298. Gary Murphy finished with a 75 for 303 and remarked, "I've been swinging badly all week."

Not only that, but he had 128 putts. The bright side is his season's work has reaped a card that will allow him to pick and choose where and when he wants to play next year.

TOP SCORES AT VALDERRAMA

276 - Fredrik Jacobson 64 71 71 70, Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 68 69 69 70.

(Jacobson won at fourth play-off hole. Jacobson won #406,703, Rodiles #271,131).

279 - B Davis 71 73 69 66 (#158,615). 282 J Bickerton 71 72 70 69 (#122,012). 284 - S Leaney (Aus) 77 72 67 68, G Owen 73 67 73 71 (#99,003 each). 286 - M Campbell (Nzl) 75 69 74 68, S Garcia (Spa) 71 71 73 71. 287 - I Poulter 74 72 73 68 . 288 - J M Olazabal (Spa) 70 75 70 73, C Montgomerie 71 74 70 73, A Scott (Aus) 72 75 68 73. 289 - P Casey 77 70 73 69, Al Cabrera (Arg) 71 74 73 71, D Clarke 77 72 68 72, N O'Hern (Aus) 70 78 69 72, B Dredge 72 73 71 73, J Moseley (Aus) 73 72 70 74. 290 - P Harrington 76 74 70 70, A Hansen (Den) 66 73 73 78. 291 - P Fowler (Aus) 72 79 70 70, M Angel Jimenez (Spa) 75 72 73 71, D Fichardt (Rsa) 73 72 74 72. 293 - R Jacquelin (Fra) 74 75 72 72, P Price 75 71 75 72, D Howell 73 77 72 71, T Bjorn (Den) 71 73 74 75. 294 - R Gonzalez (Arg) 77 70 74 73, S Gallacher 71 75 76 72, B Lane 75 76 71 72 295 Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 77 74 73, T Immelman (Rsa) 77 70 76 72, N Faldo 74 71 73 77, G Evans 74 75 69 77, P McGinley 75 73 76 71, P Golding 76 73 76 70. 296 - M McNulty (Zim) 74 75 71 76, R Karlsson (Swe) 74 75 73 74, E Romero (Arg) 73 73 72 78. 297 - P Lawrie 75 75 72 75, R-J Derksen (Ned) 74 71 73 79. 298 - L Westwood 75 72 76 75, Peter Lawrie 72 77 77 72. 303 - G Murphy 74 78 76 75.