Greg Owen eased to a three-stroke victory in the British Masters on Sunday for his first win in six seasons on the European Tour after a one under par final round of 71.
The 31-year-old Englishman could afford bogeys on three of the last four holes at Forest of Arden as he won comfortably from last week's Wales Open champion Ian Poulter and Christian Cevaer of France.
Poulter, second overnight four shots adrift, birdied the 17th hole for a 70 to snatch a share of second with Cevaer, who birdied the last two holes for a 68.
Darren Clarke, after a day's-best 66, Robert Rock with a 68 and Anthony Wall following a 71, shared fourth place on 280.
"I wanted a fast start so I could relax a bit but Ian wouldn't let me," said Owen, who felt he threw away a chance to win in Portugal late in April on the last two holes. "In that one I tried to force everything. I tried too hard to win. Today I was a lot calmer."
Clarke and Justin Rose, the last two European golfers playing in the British Masters who are going on to the US Open, tuned up with standout final rounds.
Both recorded their best scores of the week. Clarke toured the 7,213-yard Forest of Arden course in 6-under-par 66 that he felt could have been a 62, while Rose shot 67. The scores meant that both felt better about their prospects though neither was exactly oozing optimism ahead of their flight Sunday night to Chicago for the Open at Olympia Fields beginning on Thursday.
Clarke, who won the English Open on this course in 2000 and last year, has had a frustrating week to add to an exasperating year.
"The first two rounds here I hit the ball worse than I have all year," the Northern Irishman said. "The last two I hit exactly as I have all year. There's nothing more I can do tee to green.
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