FINAL LEADERBOARD -18 R Sterne (SA) -16 A Hansen (Den) -15 T Price (Aus) -14 R Jacquelin (Fra), P Broadhurst (Eng) -13 D Fichardt (SA), I Giner (Spa), W Ormsby (Aus) Collated scores

Needing a top-20 finish to save his tour card, the 23-year-old carded a final-round 65 to finish on 18 under par and earn a two-year exemption.

Sterne's feat is even more impressive considering the fact he was three over par after three holes on Thursday.

Denmark's Anders Hansen was second on 16 under, while overnight leader Paul Broadhurst had to settle for fourth.

The 39-year-old Englishman had held the overnight lead on Friday and Saturday but was unable to maintain his good form on Sunday until birdies at the last two holes lifted him into the top five, four shots behind Sterne.

Alongside Broadhurst on 14 under was Raphael Jacquelin, the consistent Frenchman who is still chasing his first win on the senior tour.

I began the day knowing if I shot a 72 or 73 it would have been back to tour school - I knew I was better than that Richard Sterne

One shot better off than Broadhurst and Jacquelin was Australia's Terry Price, who did enough to qualify for next week's tour finale at the Volvo Masters Andalucia.

And Price was not the only Australian with something to celebrate at the Club de Campo, as Wade Ormsby fired a five-under 66 to do just enough to keep his playing privileges for next year.

Johan Edfors and Ivo Giner were less fortunate and both failed in their efforts to climb into the top 115 on the Order of Merit.

Still fuming after Saturday's controversial lost ball incident, Sweden's Edfors needed to finish in the top two in Madrid but could only manage a 70 for a share of ninth.

It's an outstanding achievement because there was double pressure for him Event promoter Seve Ballesteros on Sterne's win

Spain's Giner needed the same result but he too could only card a 70 and had to settle for a share of sixth. A visit to next month's qualifying school awaits both.

The two players pushed out of the automatic exemption places by Sterne, whose display earned him a cheque worth �116,000, and Ormsby were Australian Jarrod Moseley and England's Simon Wakefield, who both missed the cut this week.

Moseley finished the year only 13 euros behind Sweden's Robert Karlsson, the last man to gain an automatic card for 2005.

And England's Jamie Spence looked a sure bet to move to safety but a closing 70 doomed the tournament committee chairman to tour school as well, as he stayed in 121st place.