GRAEME STORM was satisfied with an ‘incredible week’ after coming within a whisker of ending a seven-year wait for a European Tour title in Switzerland when he suffered play-off heartbreak at the Omega European Masters.

The Hartlepool golfer’s disappointment on the final day was eased after earning a £200,000-plus boost which secures his playing privileges on Tour for next year and a new BMW electric car worth £140,000 for nailing a hole-in-one on Saturday.

Storm, the overnight leader going in to the final day, had been in the thick of things at the top of the leaderboard throughout the week at Crans-sur-Sierre and looked set to win the tournament after holding his nerve in the run-in.

Despite finishing with six pars and one birdie to post a final round 68, American David Lipsky claimed a stunning birdie at the last to force Storm to a play-off after both finished on 18-under par after shooting 65.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to signing my card and getting back out there, so probably didn’t get the composure I needed,” said Storm. “What a rollercoaster it has been for me, unbelievable. I have had a great week.

“It’s disappointing to lose but I have secured my card for next year, that was my goal and I was so far behind before this week so to do that is great. To shoot four scores on this course in the 60s is a first for me. It’s been an unbelievable week.”

It was on the play-off hole when the drama intensified. Storm’s tee shot was sliced right and landed just in front of a wall, while Lipsky’s dropped in the fairway bunker.

After Storm had chipped on to the fairway, his rival opted against taking on the water and he chipped left in to the slight rough which appeared to open the door once more for the man from the North-East.

However, after Storm had been unable to roll in his putt after finding the back of the green, Lipsky’s approach left him with a simple putt for par – and the title.

Lipsky: “It feels spectacular. I put in a lot of hard work and it all came together. I was thinking worst case scenario when I was in the bunker because it was a tough shot to get it on the green from there. I knew I had enough in my short game to get it up and down and it worked out.”

The success has earned Lipsky a two-year Tour card, while Storm will have to take satisfaction and pride from the fact he was back in contention for a title.

The 36-year-old, whose only Tour success was at the French Open in 2007, was solid from start to finish and that should give him a lot of confidence for the rest of the year, knowing he has effectively secured his Tour card for a further year with this result. He will climb into the top 80 in the Race to Dubai, knowing he must finish higher than 110 this year to play in 2015.

Storm and Lipsky finished a shot clear of American Brooks Koepka and Tyrrell Hatton; Tommy Fleetwood was a shot further back.

When Storm and Koepka birdied the par five 15th, the duo moved a shot ahead with two holes to play.

But then the latter dropped a shot at the 17th when he directed his tee shot plug in to the bunker.

That paved the way for Storm to close in on the title, but Lipsky delivered in style at the 18th when his chip from 95 yards landed inches from the hole. A birdie followed, as did the play-off.

Storm had started the final day sitting on 16 under after his memorable Saturday when he conjured up a moment of brilliance at the 11th. He was already nicely placed, but his stunning six-iron bounced at the front of the green on the 217-yard Par 3 before rolling straight in.

The scenes of celebration on the tee-box illustrated what it meant to Storm, who has struggled all year with his form to find the sort of finances required to make inroads towards the top 100 in the Race to Dubai.

To have got the keys to a brand new BMW in the process made the moment extra special. “It was unbelievable,” said Storm, who went on to repeat Thursday’s 64 round after that hole-in-one on Saturday.

“I didn’t expect to shoot a score like that. What celebrations! To win something like that is marvellous.

“I haven’t got a car at the moment because I’ve been playing so badly, I’ve had to give it back. To be honest, I don’t even know how I hit my tee shot on the 12th after that, but I flushed it, I couldn’t have hit a better shot. I was buzzing about what happened.”