His par putt on the 18th lipped out, and Retief Goosen had visions of one of the chasing pack catching him, but his final round 65 was enough to win the Africa Open at the East London Golf Club by a single stroke.

For a man who has been agonising over his putting for months recently, he putted coolly under pressure to hold off the hard-charging youngster Branden Grace of South Africa, Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey and Darren Clarke and South Africa’s Darren Fichardt.

“I hit a fairly good putt, good line, the first time and it came up short,” said Goosen of that little shudder on the 18th. “I thought the next one was a right edge putt, but it didn’t turn and lipped out and then I knew I was going to have a play-off. I was very surprised that none of the other guys get to 21-under, so I was lucky with that mistake.”

Until that final putt, it was the cool Goosen of old as he birdied four of the opening nine holes to put the pressure on overnight leaders James Kingston and Clarke.

Kingston had got out of the blocks fast, but when he got a horrible triple-bogey on the 14th, he crashed out of contention.

Clarke was dogged throughout, but a bogey five on the ninth cost him dearly, and when his approach to the 18th overshot the green, his challenge petered out, as he needed a birdie to force the playoff.

But it was Grace who was the revelation: The 21-year-old started the day at 13-under for the tournament, and four birdies and a bogey on the outward nine gave notice of his intentions.

Four more birdies on the inward stretch, and he was suddenly in a four-way tie for second. “I thought I would just go out as hard as I could, but it really was a bit much to make up,” said Grace, who can’t be too far off his maiden victory.

Fichardt got the last of three birdies in his round on the 11th, and the rest of his round was spent trying desperately to find just one more. He came close on many occasions, finally on the 18th as his chip from the back of the green slid by the hole and left him a tap-in for par.

Behind them, the challenge of the big Argentinean Angel Cabrera dissipated in an opening flurry of three consecutive bogeys.

He appeared to get his round back on the rails with a birdie at the sixth, but another run of three bogeys from eight to 10 sank him and he was a grumpy man when he finally holed out on the 18th. Not even five birdies in the final eight holes could lighten the mood.

Goosen looks set fair for the year ahead: “This year, I feel I am a little more prepared for the game than over the last couple of years” he said.

“I have been working hard on my fitness and everything,” he added. “I’m probably the fittest now that I’ve been in the last five years. I’m looking forward the season ahead.”

Mike Green