Mark Foster has set his sights on emulating the achievements of former Walker Cup team-mate Padraig Harrington after claiming his first European Tour victory in memorable style.

Foster triumphed in the Dunhill Championship in Johannesburg on Sunday 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 which left him dehydrated and on the verge of withdrawing.

Forced to complete his third round at 6.30am on Sunday morning thanks 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 he 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.

Victory had been a long time coming for Foster since he turned professional in 1995 after helping a Great Britain and Ireland side containing Harrington to win the Walker Cup against an American line-up containing a certain Tiger Woods.

"People always said I'm a slow learner. Maybe I'm just starting to catch the boat," said Foster.

"I can get down on myself but I've always believed in myself, and many others did as well. It's been a long time to get out here, and obviously people like Padraig have moved on a level.

"But you feel you can compete with them again. That's what I've been told by my coaches and others."

Hansen was the first man eliminated in the play-off when he could only manage a par five on the first extra hole, the 18th - while Vaughan and Lawrie made birdie.

Immelman then also birdied, leaving his eagle chip inches short - and Foster had almost the same putt he had on the 72nd hole for an eagle from 12 feet and the title.

The result was the same, however, as he narrowly missed on the left. But he made birdie before McGuigan missed from six feet to join Hansen on the sidelines.

"You do think probably you only get one chance - but you have to tell yourself the odds are better the second time," added Foster, who won two titles and the Challenge Tour Order of Merit in 2001.

That left the foursome to play the 18th again - and Foster this time hit a seven-wood into the heart of the green, some 40 feet short of the pin.

Immelman chipped to within three feet to make almost certain of his birdie, while Lawrie and Vaughan still had chances to also make a birdie four.

But Foster was not to be denied this time and rolled in his long eagle putt to go one better than last year when he finished joint second behind Justin Rose.

"I'd just told my caddy to go and get me a Mars bar in case we needed to go down the hole again because I felt my legs were going!" Foster added.