Luke Donald has finally broken into golf’s top 10 after capturing the Honda Classic in magnificent fashion in Florida.

A five iron to four feet for birdie on the closing hole gave the 28-year-old European Ryder Cup star a two-stroke victory over Australian Geoff Ogilvy and ended a year-long wait to join the game’s elite.

Finishing second in the Players Championship and third in the Masters last spring helped Donald to 11th in the world rankings, but only now has he been able to take the extra step.

To do it with a win - and this time a "proper" win - was what meant most to the High Wycombe player.

Donald has lifted two other titles in America, but the first in 2002 came when the final round was washed out and the second in last December’s Target World Challenge was not an official US Tour event.

"Obviously I’m very excited right now," he said last night as he celebrated a title worth nearly £20,000 with his brother and caddie Christian. "Any time you win on the PGA Tour it’s a tremendous feat -and any time you finish with a birdie like that and a great shot it means a lot to a golfer.

"It’s nice to be back in the winner’s circle on this tour again after a four-year break.

"I was pretty proud of the way I finished the job off. It was a lot of emotions in the middle, but I held it together.

"I’ve always worked on trying to finish strong and it’s nice to do it on Sunday."

Donald, the joint overnight leader with Billy Mayfair, got out in front on his own early on, but three-putting the long sixth for par, then the seventh for bogey and missing from under three feet at the 10th to drop another stroke left him looking shaky and with ground to make up.

His response was brilliant, though. He made birdie putts of eight and 25 feet at the 13th and 14th, saved par from 18 feet at the 16th and then, needing a par on the last, settled the issue with arguably his best shot of the week.

Donald is now up to fourth in the Ryder Cup race and has no doubt that his debut in Detroit two years ago helped him succeed Padraig Harrington as champion at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, where he now owns a house.

"I think anything like that helps. The Ryder Cup was some of the most pressure I had ever felt and any time you can play in that pressure and experience it and come out on the other side it’s good for you," he added.

Harrington finished a disappointing 16th. The Dubliner was joint third at halfway, but fell away after consecutive 74s in his third and final rounds.