South African James Kingston hit back from four successive missed cuts in brilliant style, winning the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Cologne after a play-off with Dane Anders Hansen.
The 43 year old, who had not made a penny since The Open Championship in July, became the oldest winner of The European Tour season thanks to a four foot par putt on the first hole of sudden death at Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof.
Hansen had gone over the green into a bunker, splashed out well from the wet sand, but lipped out from six feet.
A second Tour victory for Kingston - his first was the 2008 South African Open Championship - earned him €320,000 and moves him up into the top 50 on The Race to Dubai after starting the week 116th.
The pair were level with four holes to play, but as Kingston rolled home a 12 foot birdie putt on the long 15th Hansen three-putted the 195 yard 16th.
But there was to be another twist. Hansen sank an eight foot birdie putt on the 17th and then Kingston, ranked 141st in the world, three-putted from only 20 feet.
“A week ago I didn't even know I was in the event,” added Kingston. “I got in through last year's rankings so to come out and win a championship like the Mercedes-Benz Championship on a golf course like this makes it more special. I would probably have spent a few more days at home this week but it shows how things can change.
“I spoke to the lady who does my travel arrangements and she asked what I was doing. I said I wasn't playing and she replied: ‘What do you mean? You're in’. I didn't know at that stage. One minute you don't think you don't even think you are playing and the next you win it! It's like the South African Open. I was injured a couple of days beforehand and didn't think I could play and I went on to win that. Two wins and both of them unexpected.”
Joint third were England's Simon Dyson, Swede Peter Hanson and another Danish player, Søren Hansen.
All three would have been in the play-off with a closing birdie. Dyson, winner of the KLM Open in The Netherlands three weeks ago, had the best chance, but left his 20 foot attempt just short.
"It was a quick putt and I thought I had it," said the Yorkshire golfer after his 70.
Kingston shot a closing 69 to Hansen's 67 as they posted 13 under par totals of 275.
Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher could have gone third on The Race to Dubai by finishing fourth and first respectively, but neither did enough. Westwood's 68 gave him a share of eighth place with Scot David Drysdale, while Fisher was four strokes further back in a tie for 18th.
Hansen's day started in spectacular fashion when he sank a bunker shot and two more birdies in the next six holes made him part of a four-way tie with his namesake Søren, Kingston and Hanson.
He had a 30 foot birdie chance on the last and said: "I had the same putt a few years ago and made it. I knew the line and thought I had it again, but it just wasn't to be today."
