Els keeps yearly winning streak alive

Stephen Browne bogeyed the final two holes of his last round in the South African Players' Championship at Royal Cape yesterday, and the dropped shots proved costly in both financial and playing terms as he dropped out of the top-10 position which would have earned him a place in the South African Open in January.

In a championship won by world number four Ernie Els, who shot a remarkable final round to come from six shots behind the overnight leaders and claim his first individual win of the year, Browne - a 27-year-old Dubliner who only turned professional two months ago after winning the European amateur strokeplay championship - finished with a disappointing 74 for nine-under-par total of 279. It left him in tied-11th place which gave him his first professional pay cheque for 32,200 Rand (£2,700).

Having topped the pre-qualifying tournament before bringing that form into the championship proper, Browne struggled from an early stage in the final round yesterday and a bogey at the third hole was one of five dropped shots that he suffered. He turned in 37, and two birdies in three holes, at the 10th and 12th, gave some hope of a strong finish. But a bogey at the short 13th and then further bogeys and at the 17th and 18th meant he slipped out of the coveted top-10 placing.

Browne, who has joined the Chubby Chandler stable, is without a card and will have to rely on invitations to play on the European Tour. However, it is likely that he may return to South Africa, where he has been undergoing warm-weather coaching in recent weeks, in the New Year and attempt to pre-qualify for a number of tournaments on the Sunshine Tour which resumes with the South African Open (co-sanctioned by the Southern Africa Tour and the European Tour) next month.

Meanwhile, Els shrugged another gorilla off his back to win the championship - his first tournament win of the year, although he did partner Retief Goosen to victory in last month's World Cup. Starting the day fully six shots behind overnight leaders Goosen and Scotland's Alan McLean, Els fired a seven-under-par 65 to finish 15 under before watching his closest challengers falter over the final holes.

"At last, a tournament win this year," Els laughed as he sat in the media centre, watching the final groups make their run at denying him the title he last won in 1992. The victory was worth the small matter of 317,000 Rand, but Els would surely put a far greater value on a long overdue win.

Four players had a chance to force a play-off or even to win outright in a dramatic denouement but either succumbed to nerves or saw crucial putts simply fail to drop.

No one had a better chance of denying Els than local professional McLean (72), who pulled an eight-foot putt for birdie past the hole at the 17th, and then failed to get up and down from a bunker at the 18th.

US Open champion Goosen (72) saw his chip at the final hole run wide and had to settle for second place with McLean on 14-under-par alongside Martin Maritz (67) and defending champion Trevor Immelman (67), whose birdie putt at the last finished one agonizing roll short of diving into the hole.

"It never felt quite like the gorilla I got off my back when I won the Million Dollar for the first time," an elated Els said. "I've tried to win every tournament I've played for the last four or five months but it didn't quite work out for me. My game was almost perfect today."