Richard Sterne needed two holes of a sudden-death playoff to win the co-sanctioned European Tour/Sunshine Tour Joburg Open today.

Sterne fired a six-under-par 65 to enter the playoff on 13-under-par alongside fellow South African Garth Mulroy and Sweden's Magnus Carlsson at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.
   
That trio overtook third-round leader Mark Murless, who will blame putting mistakes for wasting a two-shot lead and finishing in a tie for fifth on nine-under-par after a 73.

Darren Clarke concluded another good week on South African soil as he signed for a closing 68 to finish fourth on 11 under 273, two shots adrift of the leading trio.

Sterne survived hitting into a fairway bunker on the first sudden death hole by cajoling a brilliant four-iron on to the green on the par-five 18th which all three players birdied.
   
Mulroy and Carlsson hit into the fairway bunker when they returned to the 18th tee and were unable to match Sterne's birdie.
   
The 26-year-old Sterne had raced through the last nine holes in just 31 strokes, finishing with birdies on the last two holes to catch up with the leaders.
   
Mulroy was alone in the lead with two holes to play after a birdie on the par-three 16th hole, but could only collect pars on the last two holes.
   
Carlsson, like Sterne, birdied the 17th and 18th holes to get in the playoff.

Collated final round scores & totals in the European Tour Joburg Open, Royal Johannesburg and Kensington GC, Johannesburg, South Africa

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 71):

271 Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 70 66 69 66, Garth Mulroy (Rsa) 67 72 66 66,
Richard Sterne (Rsa) 71 68 67 65 (Richard Sterne won at the second hole of a
sudden-death play-off with a par-4)

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