CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland: American David Lipsky won the European Masters in a playoff on Sunday, getting an unorthodox par 4 on the first extra hole to beat Graeme Storm of England.

Lipsky took a difficult route to the 18th hole, via a fairway bunker and thick rough short of the green, before sinking a 2-foot putt. The 26-year-old from Los Angeles earned a career-best €383,330 ($497,000) payday for his second victory.

“It feels great,” said Lipsky. “I’ve played well the last couple of weeks and to put it all together is really something special.”

Storm, the overnight leader, sliced his tee shot wide right and made a bogey-5.

Lipsky earned the playoff by shooting 65 in the final round, keyed by an approach to the 18th which left a tap-in for birdie.

Storm missed a 30-foot putt for victory on the final hole and carded 68. Both had 18-under totals of 262 on the 6,848-yard (6,262-meter) Severiano Ballesteros course in the sunbathed Swiss Alps.

Another American, Brooks Koepka, and Tyrrell Hatton of England tied for third trailing by one shot after shooting 67 and 65 respectively.

Koepka shared the lead until making bogey-5 at the 17th, after his tee shot found a bunker.

Lipsky plays on the Asian Tour, which co-sanctions the European Masters, and now tops its money list with this victory.

“It has really developed me as a player,” Lipsky said of the Asian circuit. “Now, with European Tour status, I’ll have to think about different scheduling.”

On another low-scoring day in the thin mountain air, a 67 from European Ryder Cup player Jamie Donaldson of Wales was only enough to place seventh, three shots back.