WILTSHIRE rising star Jordan Smith came agonisingly close to being in with a shot of claiming his maiden European Tour victory earlier today but was forced to settle for third-place as he missed out on the play-off that decided the BMW SA Open.

Darry Hill’s Smith, who plays out of Bowood, began the day four shots off the lead at the Glendower Golf Club in Gauteng and an impressive four-under-par round of 68 on the final day of competition was almost enough to put him in the hunt for silverware, but he finished one shot off the lead with an overall score of 271.

Graeme Storm and superstar Rory McIlroy both finished on 270, with the former nicking the championship on a third extra hole.

Smith’s final round began with a bogey on the par-four first but he immediately remedied the damage with an eagle on the par-five second.

Birdies followed on the third, fourth, sixth and eighth but the 24-year-old did suffer a wobble on the par-four seventh, which he double-bogeyed.

Smith produced a second eagle on the par-five 15th but a bogey on par-three 17th proved decisive as eventual champion Storm and McIlroy just evaded his grasp.

Meanwhile, Cumberwell Park’s Laurie Canter finished tied-14th after signing off with a one-under-par final round of 71.

The 27-year-old recorded four birdies and two bogeys on his front nine but suffered further dropped shots on the 10th and 18th after also shooting one-under on the 15th.