Munich, Aug 01: Lee Westwood ends nearly three years without a win by taking BMW International Open. Britain's former world number four Lee Westwood emerged from the wilderness to claim his first victory in nearly three years when he clinched the BMW International Open on Sunday (August 31) by three shots. Westwood's seven birdies in 10 holes from the ninth took him to a closing six-under-par 66 for a 19-under-par 269 total, three shots better than Germany's Alex Cejka. It was the 30-year-old Westwood's first strokeplay success since the Belgian Open in September 2000, the year he became European number one, and his first win since the World Match Play two weeks later in 2000. Since then, Westwood has plummeted to 215th place in the world from number four at the end of 2000. His $326,000 win, though, will take him back up the world rankings in the week before Europe's Ryder Cup campaign begins.


Westwood began the final round three strokes adrift of Sweden's Robert Karlsson and hardly looked as though he would win when he bogeyed the seventh hole.


But then as Karlsson started floundering, a double-bogey at the 10th when he three-putted from 10ft proving particularly costly, Westwood began his victory march with three successive birdies from the 11th.


When he birdied the last three holes, his barren period ended with a 15th European Tour title.


Leading scores after the final round of the BMW International Open at the par-72, 6,961-yard Munich North-Eichenried Golf Club on Sunday (Britain unless stated): 269 Lee Westwood 65 68 70 66 272 Alex Cejka (Germany) 69 66 70 67 273 Paul Casey 65 69 70 69, Andrew Coltart 70 70 65 68, Gary Evans 66 68 68 71, Peter Hedblom (Sweden) 66 66 74 67, Raphael Jacquelin (France) 62 69 71 71 274 John Bickerton 67 68 68 71, Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 65 64 71 74, Marcel Siem (Germany) 64 70 68 72 275 Brian Davis 68 69 65 73, Gary Emerson 64 68 73 70, Stephen Gallacher 67 66 72 70, David Howell 64 71 70 70, Trevor Immelman (South Africa) 69 67 72 67 276 Carlos Rodiles (Spain) 71 69 69 67 277 Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 64 70 70 73, Ernie Els (South Africa) 68 71 74 64, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 71 65 68 73, Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 69 67 71 70, Paul McGinley (Ireland) 69 66 70 72, Andrew Raitt 70 69 68 70 278 Robert-Jan Derksen (Netherlands) 75 65 68 70, Stephen Dodd 71 69 67 71, Soren Hansen (Denmark) 68 67 74 69, Maarten Lafeber (Netherlands) 68 72 68 70, Bernhard Langer (Germany) 67 72 72 67, Kevin Na (South Korea) 71 69 71 67, Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 70 64 74 70


Bureau Report