GEORGE (South Africa), Dec 18: Retief Goosen birdied the final two holes to win the South African Open by one stroke from his compatriot Ernie Els on Sunday. Els’s eagle putt on the 18th skirted the lip of the hole and when Goosen got up and down from behind the green victory was his after a three-under-par final round of 70.

South Africa’s two leading golfers treated the galleries to a terrific duel with Goosen starting the day three shots ahead.

Although Els’s power off the tee and superb iron-play brought him three birdies and a share of the lead by the eighth hole, Goosen birdied the ninth to edge ahead again.

An approach shot that slipped off the green into a hazard left Els with a double bogey on the par-four 12th hole and a deficit of three strokes, but the former world number one fought back with three successive birdies from the 14th.

Els’s position strengthened when Goosen went over the green on the par-three 17th hole, but the world number four holed his chip shot for an astonishing birdie.

Leading final round scores: