European Tour Austrian Open: Home favourite Markus Brier reached the peak of his career with victory in the BA-CA Austrian Open after leading from start to finish.

The 37-year-old from nearby Vienna used home advantage to full effect - the Fontana course is his club - to see off the challenge of Denmark's Soren Hansen, England's Simon Dyson and Scotland's Colin Montgomerie.

And Gary Murphy stormed home with a closing 65 to finish on his own in fifth place on 10 under par, which was worth a healthy €55,000.

David Higgins was next best of the Irish on three under par after a 74, and collected €14,500. Paul McGinley finished birdie-birdie to recover a round of 72 and finish on three over.

But Stephen Browne saw his most promising week in a long time collapse on Saturday with a 78, and a 73 yesterday meant he dropped back to seven over par. He won €3,000.

Brier carded a 68 for an 18-under-par total of 266, three better than Hansen and four ahead of Dyson, his playing partner for the last two days.

Montgomerie, who began the day six shots back, briefly threatened to mount a challenge when three successive birdies from the second lifted him to 12-under and one behind Brier, who bogeyed the second and third.

However, the Ryder Cup star could not maintain his momentum, and after reaching the turn in 32 had a horrible back nine of 43 which included two double-bogey sixes and three other dropped shots.

But the week belonged to Brier, who seemed destined to win from the moment he struck a hole-in-one at the 145-yard 11th on the first day.

Everything seemed to go his way - he had an eagle two yesterday when he holed his 110-yard approach to the 387-yard 14th - and in the end nothing could stop him becoming the first Austrian victor on the European Tour.

"I am just happy to have achieved what I have been trying to do for seven years," said Brier, who won a 2004 Challenge Tour event on the same course. "It is good to be in the history books. Hopefully my golf will step up now."

Dyson bogeyed the third after missing the green and then had 12 straight pars coming home before a birdie three at the 16th saw him finish 14-under.

By that time Brier was out of sight, with the only sustained challenge coming from Hansen, who had four birdies either side of the turn and seven in all.

But his chance disappeared with a bogey at the 16th and Brier, who had claimed he knew at least half of the crowd personally, was able to play to an excited gallery.