American David Lipsky won his first European Tour title on Sunday after an extraordinary finish to the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.
Lipsky almost holed his approach to the 18th hole to card a closing 65 and force a play-off with England's Graeme Storm after the pair finished tied on 18 under par at Crans-sur-Sierre.
They returned to the 18th for the first extra hole and the contest appeared over when Storm’s drive missed the fairway and finished up against a wall, forcing the former French Open champion to pitch out sideways.
Lipsky had just 86 yards to the hole from a fairway bunker but did not even attempt to go for the green, a decision described as "heartless" by former European Tour player Wayne Riley, commentating for Sky Sports.
However, Lipsky had the last laugh as he pitched to two feet and holed for the winning par after Storm missed from long range.
American Brooks Koepka was tied for the lead with Storm until a bogey on the 17th, where his wayward approach plugged in a greenside bunker.
Koepka finished joint third alongside England's Tyrrell Hatton, with Danny Willett and Tommy Fleetwood another shot back in fifth.
Gareth Maybin finished in a share for ninth position on 13 under after closing 67, with Shane Lowry two shots further back after a level-par 70.
Peter Lawrie closed with 73 for six under, with Michael Hoey finishing the week on four under after a 70. Pádraig Harrington had a second straight 72 to finish on one over.
Lipsky, who usually plays on the Asian Tour, said: “It feels spectacular. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and have been playing well the last couple of weeks and to put it all together this week is very special to me.”
Asked by Riley why he chose to lay-up on the play-off hole, Lipsky added on Sky Sports 4: “I was just debating in my head the worst-case possibilities and scenarios.
“It was a tough shot to get it on the green from there and I had enough faith in my short game to lay it up and try and get up and down. It ended up working out.”
