It took one of the best shots of his life for Graeme McDowell to clinch the inaugural Ballantine's Championship in South Korea last night. The Northern Irishman required three extra holes of a play-off to overcome Jeev Milkha Singh, of India, who led throughout most of the final day. Now McDowell has set his sights on securing a Ryder Cup place.

“He was a tough nut to crack,” McDowell said of Singh. “I said at the start of the season, I want to be in [Nick] Faldo's team in November. There's a lot of work to do. But in a Ryder Cup year, I'm massively happy to have chalked one up this early.”

McDowell's Ryder Cup prospects will be boosted not just by the win but by the manner of it. The Ballymoney-born man had said he was in for a tussle with Singh after the Indian drew level on the penultimate day. In the end it was more of a Hollywood epic, as the pair matched each other blow for blow over 18 holes.

A double bogey at the final hole on Saturday had opened the door to Singh, who pounced the next morning with three birdies in the first four holes to take a three-shot lead. The 36-year-old was four under par for the round at the turn after a display of nigh-impeccable putting. But McDowell kept Singh within sight and scarcely put a foot wrong after earning an eagle on the 10th with a 15-foot putt.

The turning point came on the 17th, when, holding a one-shot lead, Singh appeared to have salvaged par with a chip from the bunker. He missed the subsequent putt from six feet, putting the pair on level terms coming to the 18th, a devilish 490-yarder. Both found par and returned to the 18th tee.

At the first hole of the play-off, Singh was inches shy of the championship with a 30-foot putt. At the second extra hole, McDowell sniffed victory when Singh found the bunker, only to see his adversary sink a putt from 18 feet after chipping out. For a third time they turned on their heels and headed for the tee.

Singh's second shot, with an iron, had the crowd in awe, settling five feet from the pin. McDowell, 28, looked as dead as the occupants of the walled burial mounds dotted around this hillside course as he reached for a seven-iron, 180 yards out. To gasps of amazement he landed the ball within 18 inches of the pin with a touch of backspin.

A rattled Singh missed the ensuing five-footer, leaving McDowell with a tap-in to claim his first European Tour victory since the Italian Open in 2004.

“There's no doubt about it, that shot is in the top five I've hit,” McDowell said. “[Singh] laid the gauntlet down for me and I realised this was the time I had to take aim for the flag.”

The win puts him third in the European Order of Merit and fourth on the Ryder Cup points table, behind Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson. It also gives him a passport to the WGC Championship in Doral, Florida, next week and leaves him with a chance of reaching the Masters in Augusta. “Obviously a good performance next week will take me to Augusta, but I'm not too worried about it,” he said. “I certainly don't have my heart set on it.”

While McDowell's focus remains fixed on the Ryder Cup, victory in this €2million (about £1.5 million) tournament will open a few doors in the short term. “This was a schedule-changing win,” he said.