After losing to Shane Lowry on the final hole in Abu Dhabi, Richard Sterne won’t be judged harshly for admitting he was ‘a little sore’, writes WADE PRETORIUS.

The South African has had a lean run over the past 18 months, but found some of his finest as he fought the Irishman to the 72nd hole at the Rolex Series event.

Three back starting the final round, it was Sterne who looked odds-on to win for the first time since the 2013 edition of the Joburg Open as he moved into a three-shot lead of his own with just nine to play.

It was a turn of events that caught him a little off guard.

‘I got off to a hell of a start, to be honest, a little unexpected. I enjoyed the start,’ said Sterne, now significantly better off in terms of the Race to Dubai standings.

Lowry’s admirable fight-back and a few errors left the pair all square down the last, with Sterne unable to reach the par 5 in two.

The South African described the eventual victor’s 3 wood into the green as ‘world class’. In turn, he was unable to do the same without a 3 wood in his own bag.

‘We’re pretty much the same yardage. He’s just got a 3-wood and I had 5-wood,’ said Sterne describing the final hole drama.

‘I didn’t have a 3-wood in this week, and 284 is a little stretch for a 5-wood. I tried it and it didn’t come off. He hit a great shot and all credit to him.’

Sterne refused to beat himself up, instead looking at the positives of four great rounds in one of Europe’s best fields.

‘I’m just glad that I gave a good performance this week with a strong field. It’s been a while since I’ve had a decent tournament, so I’m pretty happy with the way I performed. I was up there most of the week and stayed up there the whole tournament basically, and I had a chance right down to the last.

‘You know, I’m looking forward to the next few weeks now. I’m feeling good and obviously a little bit sore with not pulling it off here, but you know, [life] carries on.’

Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images