Owen gains first European Tour win

Greg Owen won the British Masters at the Forest of Arden - after no fewer than 21 top-10 finishes on the European tour without a victory.

Owen fired a final-round 71 to finish on 14-under-par and beat France's Christian Cevaer and last week's Wales Open champion Ian Poulter of England.

Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke gave himself an encouraging tune-up for next week's US Open with a tie for fourth alongside Litchfield teaching professional Robert Rock and his fellow Englishman Anthony Wall.

Owen began the day with a four-shot lead and picked up four birdies on the front nine, dropping just one shot at the long third.

The 31-year-old racked up six straight pars through the turn but stumbled towards the end as victory hove into view.

He leaked back-to-back bogies on 15 and 16, and rescued one shot back on 17, before dropping another stroke at the last.

But four-time winner Poulter, in second place overnight, tripped himself up with two bogeys at the 12th and 13th holes before grabbing a final birdie at the 17th to join Cavaer on 11 under.

Owen admitted he was pleased to put the nightmare of the Portuguese Open behind him, when he was two shots clear with five shots left only to end up fifth.

"It's been a long time coming," he said. "I just tried to hang in there, not make any mistakes. I scrambled my way in. Just shows I can do it."

Clarke finally found his touch on the greens after struggling all season and ended with a a six-under 66, which included just 29 putts.

"That's the first time I've broken 30 all year," said Clarke, who plays with Jim Furyk and Phil Mickleson in the first two rounds in the US Open at Olympia Fields in Chicago this week.

"I'm due to have a run of holing some and it's the only way you can compete at a US Open.

"The rough is so thick around the greens and a good chip is to six feet. You've got to knock those ones in - and I'm still not."

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