FINAL LEADERBOARD GB&Ire unless stated -7 Sergio Garcia (Sp), Ian Poulter (GB), -6 Alistair Forsyth (GB) -4 Peter Hanson (Swe) -3 Christian Cevaer (Fr), David Howell (GB) Clubhouse scores

Alistair Forsyth, three strokes ahead overnight, bogeyed the first two and was caught by an early Poulter birdie.

Consecutive Poulter bogeys put the Scot clear again but all three were level until Forsyth had tree trouble at 16.

Garcia missed a birdie chance from four feet at the 18th and Poulter won at the first extra hole with a par after the Spaniard twice found heavy rough.

It is not the first time that Forsyth has been overhauled by Poulter, who pipped him for the Rookie of the Year award in 2000.

Forsyth had recovered from his shaky start with 13 consecutive pars but then drove tight down the right at the 16th and was blocked out by the cork trees.

His attempt at an escape proved too ambitious as he struck the trunk of one only a few yards ahead and it required an excellent pitch and putt to drop only one shot.

Forsyth was unable to birdie either of the closing holes and finished with a round of 74, one shot adrift, for third place at six-under.

Poulter's daughter was NOT the child who picked up Garcia's ball

Poulter had briefly been on his own in the lead after rolling in a rollercoaster 30-foot putt at the 10th for his third birdie in succession.

But he missed the green with only a nine-iron approach at the 13th and from a perilous position beneath the sloping green took three more.

Garcia enjoyed some good fortune at the treacherous 17th when his drive, heading out of bounds, hit the expanse of the ornamental cork trees that line the fairways and bounced safely into play.

He had a chance to force Poulter to make a closing birdie when his approach at the last pitched inches from the cup, but the ball rolled on five feet past and he missed the putt.

After Poulter two-putted from 20 feet to force extra holes, the players returned to the 18th where Garcia found a horrendous spot in thick rough down the right.

He needed to curve the ball dramatically to the right to find the green but was unable to and found more thick stuff on the left well short of the cut surface.

I gave myself chances to win, but the one on the last was not the best of putts Sergio Garcia

Following a bizarre moment in which a toddler picked up the ball and had to be rebuked by her mother, Garcia was allowed to drop without penalty but was still short of the green in light rough in three shots.

Poulter, who had pulled his drive, was on the fringe in two but chipped up and holed from two feet to seal his sixth title, maintaining a record of winning in every year since his debut on the European Tour in 2000.

Forsyth, who was seeking to add to his solitary European victory in Malaysia in 2002, said: "Obviously I'm disappointed, but I hung in and was there the whole day. It just didn't happen for me."

Garcia said: "It was heartbreaking, but what can you do? There can only be one winner - usually!

"I tried to hit a three-iron for my second (in the play-off), but there was a bit too much grass to make it cut as much as I had to.

"I gave myself chances to win, but the one on the last (in regulation play) was not the best of putts."

Poulter revealed that Europe's win at Oakland Hills in September gave him excellent preparation for the tense finish.

The European Tour will always be my home Ian Poulter

"The Ryder Cup definitely helped with the nerves coming down the stretch. It's a tough finish but I held it together."

On the European-US Tour debate he said: "The European Tour will always be my home. I will always play my quota and more but money is not the motivation now - it is world ranking points.

"I need to play in a few more tournaments in the US, play in the big world ranking tournaments. I think I can win over there and give myself a chance to get into the top ten in the world ranking."

Ryder Cup colleagues David Howell and Lee Westwood earlier enjoyed bursts of fine final-day scoring.

Howell, who began in a tie for 13th, had the best round of the day with six birdies in a 66 and finished tied fifth.

Westwood birdied five holes out of eight either side of the turn but finished with two bogeys for a share of seventh at one-under.