Lee Westwood came out on top after a gripping battle with Louis Oosthuizen and Sergio Garcia to win the Nedbank Golf Challenge for the third time.

Westwood fired an eagle and six birdies in a brilliant final round of 64 at Sun City to finish 15-under-par, three shots ahead of overnight leader Garcia, with Oosthuizen a shot further back after a double bogey on the 18th.

The victory is Westwood's 24th on the European Tour and his first on the circuit since 2014, although he did also win the Indonesian Masters on the Asian Tour in 2015.

The 45-year-old, who ruled himself out of the running to be Europe's Ryder Cup captain in 2020 as he targets a record-equalling 11th appearance in the contest, previously won the Nedbank in 2010 and 2011 when the tournament was a 12-man invitational event.

Rory McIlroy was the best of the Irish. He finished with a 71 that left him one-under for the tournament, two shots ahead of Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry who had contrasting final days.

Harrington fired a terrific three-under 69 that lifted him up to tied 35th but Lowry slumped to a three-over 75 that saw him tumble down the leaderboard.

Paul Dunne also shot a frustrating 75, finishing on three-over.

Westwood fought back tears as he told Sky Sports: "I'm a bit emotional to be honest, you're never sure whether you're going to be able to do it again.

"Until now my emotions felt really under control all day, which is what I've been working hard on. I was just trying to hit fairways, stick to my game plan and hit it in the right places.

"I've got a bit of a process I'm going through with my golf swing, I'm starting to see better shots; the seven iron into 17 is probably one of the best shots I've ever hit and it all just worked."