Zimbabwe's Nick Price fired a final round 68 to win his second Million Dollar Challenge title in Sun City yesterday. Price shot a four-round total of 275 to beat American Davis Love III and Ernie Els of South Africa by one shot.

But it was not until the final hole that Price, who won the 1993 tournament with a record total of 264, could breathe easily. His day-long battle with Phil Mickelson fizzled into something of an anti-climax on the final green after the left-hander's second bogey in the final three holes relegated him to fourth spot on 277, one shot better than Germany's Bernhard Langer.

The 40-year-old Price had taken a share of the lead for the first time on the ninth after a bogey at the eighth hole. Mickelson, who had led through the first three rounds and in the two-ball behind Price, made double bogey on eight to show the first opening of the door.

Price again took a share of the lead with a birdie on the par-four 15th and with Mickelson bogeying 16 and 18, the title was his again.

The real drama of the round had come in the duel between the sixth and 10th holes. The 27-year-old Mickelson hit back with an eagle at the second hole after Price had birdied the first two holes.

The Zimbabwean knocked in a long putt from across the green to a pin tucked tight in the left-hand corner of the par four. Mickelson was less than immaculate off the tee, leaving his drive in the semi-rough, coming up short with the approach and then taking two putts to get down.

It left Price one shot behind, a gap that grew when he three-putted the par-four eighth. But he and Mickelson were level when the American again misdirected a drive to the left, hit his second into the crowd at the back of the green, fluffed the chip to the fringe and took a double bogey.

Price momentarily took the lead with a birdie on nine after his chip from the fringe narrowly missed for eagle three.

Mickelson, again in trouble off the tee, made a brave birdie to claw back a share of the lead at the turn. The American snatched back the lead with a second straight birdie on 10 and Love, who had turned in three-under 33 and added birdies at 10 and 13, had come back to level with Price.

But Price pulled away on the back nine and this time Mickelson could find no response.