BRADLEY Dredge's first European Tour win still eludes him.

The 29-year-old Blackwood golfer entered the club house at the Dunhill Championship in South Africa after the third day sharing the lead with home favourite Bradford Vaughan.

But after being 13-under after day three at the Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg, he slipped off the pace to finish on 11-under - four shots off eventual winner England's Mark Foster.

Foster claimed his maiden tour victory in unforgettable style yesterday just hours after almost pulling out of the Dunhill Championship.

Foster triumphed in Johannesburg with an eagle on the second hole of a six-man sudden death play-off - only the second ever in European Tour history.

The 27-year-old from Worksop missed makeable putts on the 72nd hole and first hole in sudden death which would have won him the title at Houghton.

But he held his nerve to make it third time lucky with an eagle from 40 feet on the second play-off hole to beat Trevor Immelman, Paul Lawrie, Bradford Vaughan, Anders Hansen and Doug McGuigan to the £79,000 first prize.

The victory was all the more remarkable considering Foster had been taken ill overnight with a stomach bug that left him dehydrated and on the verge of withdrawing.

Forced to complete his third round at 6.30am yesterday due to Saturday's thunderstorms, Foster thought he was out of contention at eight under but birdied three of his five remaining holes to close within three of leader Vaughan.

The break between rounds was spent with the on-site doctor and physios and the former Walker Cup player was able to take his place on the tee, although the omens did not look good when he bogeyed the second.

Four birdies in a row from the sixth changed all that however and two more coming home eventually saw him into the nerve-wracking play-off.

"Withdrawing was an option," admitted Foster, a close friend and neighbour of Lee Westwood in Worksop. "I was very tired after being up all night with a bug, I'm not sure if it was something I ate or to do with the sun.

"I can't thank the physios and doctor enough. They transformed me. After playing five holes this morning I was wilting but saw the doctor and got rehydrated."