South African James Kingston hit back from four successive missed cuts in brilliant style by 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 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 Gut Larchenhof.

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 2007 South African Open - earned him just under £279,000 and moves him up into the top 50 money-winners on the circuit 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 only 141st in the world, three-putted from only 20 feet.

No wonder the relief when he clinched victory half an hour later.

Joint third were England's Simon Dyson, Swede Peter Hanson and another Danish player, Soren Hansen.

All three would have been in the play-off with a closing birdie. Dyson, winner of the KLM Open in Holland 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 money list 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.

England's Chris Wood, who did not have a bogey in the first 47 holes and was on course for his first Tour title at that point, dropped back to 12th, while Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie is still seeking his first top 10 finish since June last year. He was only 34th.

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 Soren, 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."

Dyson, in contrast, had started bogey-bogey, but birdied four of the next nine to re-ignite his hopes of another win.

Kingston said: "A week ago I didn't even know I was in the event.

"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."

As for his three-putt on the 17th he added: "I don't know what happened. I knew I was two ahead and told my caddie it was more important to have a three-shot lead.

"To walk off with a three putt and my first and only bogey of the day, it was a crucial moment. I was thinking that if I lost the tournament it would be because of that putt.

"However I made a triple bogey at the second hole on Thursday and it was an awesome comeback."

Collated final round scores & totals in the European Tour Mercedes-Benz Championship, Gut Larchenhof GC, Cologne, Germany

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):

275 James Kingston (Rsa) 67 69 70 69 (Kingston won at first play-off hole), Anders Hansen (Den) 70 68 70 67

276 Peter Hanson (Swe) 70 68 67 71, Soren Hansen (Den) 65 71 70 70, Simon Dyson 68 70 68 70

278 Anthony Wall 69 70 68 71, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 70 68 69 71

279 David Drysdale 67 70 73 69, Lee Westwood 70 69 72 68

280 Rodney Pampling (Aus) 71 72 69 68, Alex Cejka (Ger) 70 72 68 70

281 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 68 71 69 73, Chris Wood 66 69 73 73, Marcel Siem (Ger) 70 70 72 69

282 Graeme McDowell 70 72 70 70, Scott Drummond 71 69 74 68, Darren Clarke 70 70 70 72

283 Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 71 71 69 72, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 72 69 71 71, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 72 74 68 69, Ross Fisher 67 69 78 69, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 71 70 70 72

284 Bernhard Langer (Ger) 71 75 70 68, Hennie Otto (Rsa) 73 71 72 68, Steve Webster 76 67 74 67, Gareth Maybin 76 73 67 68, Scott Strange (Aus) 67 68 74 75, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 70 72 70 72, Alexander Noren (Swe) 71 72 70 71, Paul Lawrie 68 71 69 76, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 70 67 72 75, Markus Brier (Aut) 69 73 73 69, Tano Goya (Arg) 74 69 70 71

285 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 69 69 71 76, Christian Nilsson (Swe) 69 76 70 70, Colin Montgomerie 72 69 71 73, Paul McGinley 72 68 72 73, Thomas Levet (Fra) 70 71 73 71, Graeme Storm 69 68 78 70, Johan Edfors (Swe) 78 71 69 67

286 Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 69 72 69 76, Anthony Kang (USA) 71 71 72 72, Robert Rock 70 72 75 69, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 71 68 74 73, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 76 71 70 69, Jamie Donaldson 74 70 71 71, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 75 72 71 68

287 Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 74 68 73 72, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 76 72 68 71, David Howell 71 74 72 70

288 Stephen Dodd 69 74 71 74, Nick Dougherty 69 76 75 68

289 Christian Cevaer (Fra) 71 72 73 73, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 73 70 75 71, Kenneth Ferrie 72 78 70 69, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 72 73 73 71

290 Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 78 73 69 70, Richard Finch 69 72 73 76, Shane Lowry 75 72 72 71

291 Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 74 69 73 75, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 70 74 72 75, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 69 76 72 74, Florian Fritsch (Ger) 74 71 71 75

292 Damien McGrane 72 72 76 72, Danny Willett 72 70 71 79

294 Gregory Havret (Fra) 77 72 73 72

295 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 70 74 77 74, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 72 76 70 77, John Bickerton 74 73 75 73

296 Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 70 73 80 73

298 Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 73 70 79 76, Michael Hoey 76 77 74 71

299 Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 77 75 71 76

300 Alastair Forsyth 74 75 74 77

303 Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 76 78 71 78

305 Michael Campbell (Nzl) 77 79 76 73

307 Mark Brown (Nzl) 75 75 75 82

311 Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 79 81 74 77