CRANS MONTANA, Switzerland -- Jean-Francois Lucquin beat Rory McIlroy with a birdie-3 on the second playoff hole Sunday to win the Omega European Masters.

The 19-year-old McIlroy held a four-stroke lead going into the final round, but bogeyed two of the first three holes and then missed a five-foot putt for victory on the 18th to settle for a 71. McIlroy missed a one-foot putt and made bogey on the second playoff hole before Lucquin holed a 12-footer for his first European Tour win in his 175th attempt.

Both players parred the 18th on the first playoff hole after missing birdie putts, Lucquin from 25 feet and McIlroy from 12 feet. The two had both finished on 13-under totals of 271, after Lucquin shot a closing 67 with four birdies on the first 11 holes.

Miguel Angel Jimenez (67), Gary Orr (67), Julien Clement (68) and Christian Cevaer (68) shared third on 12 under.

"I was very nervous on the first tee but I was confident in my swing," the 29-year-old Lucquin said. "When I holed that putt, my wife and little boy ran on the green and when I saw them, it was a dream."

Lucquin's first victory beat his previous best result of second place in last year's Malaysian Open.

McIlroy looked to have struck a decisive blow when he sank a 15-foot birdie putt at the long 15th hole to take back the lead, but he parred the next two before his bogey at the last.

"Obviously I am very disappointed. I didn't make it easy for myself starting off but then I thought I battled back really well," McIlroy said.

He felt he was unlucky on the 72nd hole where his sand wedge took a big bounce into the rough.

McIlroy, who shaved the cup on the first playoff hole, had led from his first round 63 Thursday.

"I can take a lot from this week. I played well all week and played well coming down the stretch," McIlroy said. "I came here after three missed cuts in a row and found a bit of form, but it would have been nice to go home with the trophy."

McIlroy was soon overhauled after he bogeyed the second and third. However, he birdied three of the next 12 to take the lead that he looked like keeping until he missed the five-footer at the last.

After his par attempt on the 72nd hole had failed and he had angrily thrown his ball into the water by the green, McIlroy had another chance to take the title at the start of sudden death.

However, his 15-foot attempt missed as well and, hard though it was to believe, worse was to follow. Playing the 405-yard 18th for the third time, he hit a 25-foot birdie putt just past the cup and incredibly missed that too.

Lucquin 29, a Frenchman who lives in Switzerland, was ranked 460th in the world at the start of the week and at 127th on the Order of Merit was fighting for his future. Now he has a two-year exemption on the circuit.

McIlroy, 19, was trying to become the third-youngest winner in European Tour history. Only South African Dale Hayes and Spain's Seve Ballesteros had won at a younger age.

"Obviously I am very disappointed," he said. "I got very unlucky on the 18th in regulation, where it got a pretty big bounce for a sand wedge. I hit a good chip, but not a very good putt. Then second time around in the playoff it didn't really matter as he holed his.

"That made me feel a bit better after missing that putt. I can take a lot from this week," he added. "I played very well all week and played well coming down the stretch, but unfortunately one bad shot cost me. It would be great to get a win this year, but if not I have the rest of my career. C'est la vie."

He had been four clear with a round to play, but after bogeys at the second and third suddenly found himself one behind and then down to fourth place at one point. However, the leading amateur at the 2007 British Open came back from that and moved one ahead again by sinking a 20-foot birdie putt at the long 15th.

By getting down in a chip and a putt on the next two holes, he stood on the last needing another par for the trophy.

Going over the green gave Lucquin hope, though, and after his chip had run just past the edge of the hole, he was one shot from glory. But 11 shots later it was all over and he was the loser.

Jimenez was the only member of Nick Faldo's Ryder Cup team in the field -- and the only player in the world's top 50 -- and had chances galore on the greens to win the title.

"There are 14 clubs in the bag and one of them, I don't like him," he said after his 67. "I had a nightmare."

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