Justin Rose came through a tense play-off with Haotong Li to win the Turkish Airlines Open and ensure he will return to the top of the world rankings when the standings are updated on Monday.
Chinese star Li held a three-shot lead going into the final round but he allowed the rest of the field to close in on him after dropping shots at the second and 11th to slip to -15.
Taking full advantage of the overnight leaders’ mistakes, defending champion Rose made birdies at the 7th, 10th, 12th and 14th to open up a two-shot lead of his own on -17.
However, with holes running out, Li – who also made a birdie at the 12th – made a superb eagle at the par-five 15th to move back into a share of first.
Rose then fired back with a birdie at the 16th to move one stroke ahead but he gave that shot straight back at the next hole after three-putting on the 17th green, leaving the duo tied going down the last.
Both players then bogeyed the final hole to finish tied on -17 and when Rose made par at the first extra hole, Li was unable to follow suit as he made a costly bogey to lose out.
The victory means the 38-year-old has defended a title for the first time in his career and he will move back to the top of the OWGR’s when the new standings are released on Monday.
Spaniard Adrian Otaegui and Belgian Thomas Detry finished in a tie for third on -15 whilst German Martin Kaymer and Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard were a further shot back.
Danny Willett showed signs of the form that helped him win the 2016 Masters after he ended up in a share of seventh on -13 alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen.
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