CHRIS Paisley equalled his best finish on the European Tour at the Africa Open in East London as he moved above former French Open champion Graeme Storm in the Race to Dubai.

Paisley, a 26-year-old tour rookie attached to Close House, was part of a five-way tie for 22nd place with rounds of 73, 70, 69 and 71.

He was in line for his first top-20 spot after three birdies on a bogey-free front nine in his final round, but he dropped shots at 10 and 11 before signing for a five-under total of 283.

Paisley said: “I was happy with one under for the last round.

“My game is nowhere near, but I ground it out.”

Last May, Paisley was invited to compete in the Madeira Islands Open when still a Challenge Tour player and signed for four sub-par rounds, finishing in a four-way tie for 22nd spot.

This latest effort broke a run of five missed cuts in a row following his debut as a member of the European Tour early in December.

Then he tied 39th in an event reduced by rain to two rounds, the inaugural Nelson Mandela Championship.

Paisley is now 136th in the Race to Dubai with winnings of £12,662.

Hartlepool’s Storm, having missed the cut, is 139th with £11,526.

Penrith’s Gary Lockerbie, who took a break and skipped the event, is 59th in the rankings with £45,806, already around a quarter of the total he will need to keep his card.

Yesterday’s winner was South African Darren Fichardt, who survived a late wobble to claim a two-shot win on home soil

Fichardt, the joint overnight leader, held on for victory, despite dropping three shots in his last five holes to finish the day with a one-under 71.

That put him on 16 under for the tournament and earned him his fourth European Tour title, with compatriot Jaco Van Zyl and France’s Gregory Bourdy finishing in a tie for second.

Fichardt had moved four under par for the day with birdies at the first, third, seventh and 13th, reaching the turn with a four-shot lead, meaning his late slump did not prove costly.

He said: “I started losing focus. I was four shots ahead and I started taking it for granted.

“I was putting unbelievably and then I missed a short putt at the 14th and thought ’what’s going on here?”’

Van Zyl tied for the lead with Fichardt going into the final day and was his main challenger over the last 18 holes before a bogey at the last, his third of the round, left him with a 73.

A third South African, Garth Mulroy, was fourth on 13 under following a final-round 67.