Korean K. J. Choi won on his first visit to continental Europe when he claimed theGerman Masters title today by two strokes.
A closing five-under-par 67 for a 26-under-par 262 total, earned the U.S. PGA Tour player his first European Tour success to add to two titles he took in America last year.
He finished two shots ahead of Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez. Choi picked up €500,000 as Europe's 16th first-time winner of the season and Asia's third of the year on the circuit.
Jimenez's consolation was to earn the top points on offer in the European Ryder Cup campaign of 333,330.
Sweden's Niclas Fasth, who played in the last Ryder Cup, and Briton Ian Poulter finished joint third, a further stroke back. Darren Clarke fired a closing 67 to tie for fifth.
Choi began the final round with a one-stroke advantage but had to battle hard for his first European success.
A spectacular eagle-two on the par-four fifth hole when he 'slam-dunked' his ball straight into the hole with a six-iron from 168 yards, helped his cause, though.
He had holed a bunker shot for an eagle on the long 13th the previous day and again eagled the hole to move back in front, this time with a 12ft putt.
Although Fasth at one stage caught him, Choi was never headed from there and when the Swede bogeyed the short 16th, the last resistance to the Korean was over.
Choi added a third birdie on the last to go with his two eagles to end any hopes of playing-partner Jimenez too.
Choi's victory made it the third successive win by one of Gary Player's International team to play the U.S. in November in the President's Cup after Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.
Choi was chosen as one of Player's wild-cards for the match in SouthAfrica.
While Jimenez earned second place on his own with a closing birdie for a 68, the watching Bernhard Langer, Europe's 2004 Ryder Cup captain who missed the cut, must have been impressed with the performances from two of his younger team aspirants, Fasth who shot 65 and Poulter, who also carded 68.
While Fasth came from five strokes behind at the start of the day to move alongside Choi, Poulter, already a winner twice this year, hit back bravely with four birdies after going into the hazard and double-bogeying the ninth.
Britain's former European number one Lee Westwood continued his comeback after winning the BMW International Open three weeks ago with a closing 63 which included a hole-in-one on the short eighth that won him a €10,000 gold kilo bar. He finished in a tie for 13th.
Paul McGinley ended his week with a 66 to finish on four under while Graeme McDowell slumped down the leaderboard to four under after a disappointing 75.