Golf European Masters: Luke Donald, with no extravagant pumping of the fist, more a quiet smile of satisfaction, yesterday won the European Masters, an alpha moment in a burgeoning career.

The Englishman thus repeated the feat of American Stewart Cink, who won a tournament the same week he was told by Hal Sutton he was a US Ryder Cup captain's pick for the team. Donald received the same news from Bernhard Langer only the previous weekend and, released from the pressure of trying to catch his captain's eye, declared his intention in Switzerland was "to have fun".

He had it yesterday all right. A final round of 66, five under par, for a total of 265, 19 under, gave him a winning margin of five strokes from one of his Ryder Cup colleagues, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and of six from another, Sergio Garcia.

One shot further back was Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, who finished with a 70 for a 272 total. The only other Irishman left in the field, Peter Lawrie, was on 288 after finishing with a second successive 73.

Donald, meanwhile, collected some 267,000, taking his total since the Open championship to €681,950. In that period he has played seven events, won two of them - the Scandinavian Masters being the other - and finished inside the top 25 in all. Yesterday he dispatched the opposition with what in a more flamboyant character would have been described as ferocious intensity.

Donald, however, does not do flamboyant, relying on his clubs to do it for him, and his 66 yesterday was six shots better than either of his playing partners Garcia or Jimenez.

Donald's demeanour is deceptive and when he appeared in the press interview area yesterday he did so soaked in champagne. He had been drenched by his good friend, and landlord for the tournament, Sergio Garcia, at the presentation ceremony.

"I don't mind that," he said, "if it means winning."

Opening with an eagle yesterday was a clear statement of intent and, with Jimenez fading, Donald birdied the 12th and Garcia bogeyed it. That gave him a cushion but with consecutive par-fives to follow, he could not be complacent.

Garcia, by now knowing that some aggression was called for, went for the pin with his second to the long 14th, got a flier from the rough and pitched perilously close to someone's kitchen at the back of the green.

Out of bounds and out of contention.

Guardian Service