Argentina's Angel Cabrera, biggest hitter on the European Tour last season, had the biggest win of his life at The Belfry.

The 32-year-old, nicknamed "The Duck" in his home country - apparently because of the way he walks - became £183,330 richer for a one-stroke victory over Barry Lane in the Benson & Hedges International Open.

Cabrera's two-putt birdie on the long 17th and Lane's three-putt at the 16th ultimately settled the issue, the South American winning with a 10-under-par total of 278.

Like Lane, Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington and Michael Campbell were all left thinking what might have been after each of them bogeyed the final hole to finish joint third one shot further back.

Montgomerie blamed primarily a double bogey six at the 261-yard 10th for coming up short of his target, but also the public address announcer at the 18th green.

"Just as I was swinging on the final tee I heard him announce Nick Faldo's name on the tannoy," said Montgomerie.

"I'm delighted that Nick Faldo was being celebrated on the final green, but the wind was blowing straight in our direction and his voice carried.

"I'll be speaking to somebody about it. Everybody was quiet and the 'Quiet Please' signs were up around the tee, then he volunteers to make a noise."

In the event he would have had to birdie the 473-yard hole, scene of so much Ryder Cup drama before and almost certainly again this September, to force a play-off.

It was Cabrera's first victory on European soil, although his win last year in the Argentine Open counted towards the Order of Merit.

This success, against a much stronger field, should take him into the world's top 20 for the first time and following his 10th and ninth place finishes in the last two Masters, he believes he can climb even higher.

"To win one of the best tournaments in Europe makes me think that this is the start of great things," commented Cabrera, who received financial help from fellow professional Eduardo Romero at the start of his career.

He will certainly be looking forward to the chance to lock horns again with Tiger Woods in Germany this week. The pair were involved in a terrific battle in the World Cup two years ago.

Cabrera's playing of the last hole should stand him in good stead. He hooked his second, but played a brilliant chip to two feet.

Lane, who led by three early in the final round, was unable to hit back from that bogey at the 16th.

His drive down the 17th finished in the trees, restricting him to a par, and his pushed drive down the last meant he could only just make the bottom tier of the green, from where he did well to get down in two for second place.

The Berkshire player, who did win a point in the 1993 Ryder Cup on the course and has not won a tournament since 1995, said: "All in all I'm not too disappointed.

"My performance has been good and I've thoroughly enjoyed myself, which is what it is all about."

Montgomerie will certainly remember the 10th hole when he returns to face the Americans in four months' time.

"I laid up every day and played it in three over," he said. "In glorious hindsight I should have gone for it every day."

He went over the green with his pitch in the final round and from "an awful lie with an awful stance played an awful shot".

It ran past the flag into the water and in the end he did well to drop only two strokes.

Montgomerie was five behind at that point, but birdied the 11th, 14th, 15th and 17th.

Then came the voice. Harrington was close to winning the event which two years ago saw him five in front with a round to play, then disqualified when it was discovered he had not signed his first round scoreboard.

Also needing a birdie at the last, he was just off the green in two and three-putted.

"I'm very disappointed because it's an opportunity missed," said the Dubliner.

"But I'm glad Angel got his four on the last. To finish one behind would have been hard to bear."

John Daly had an adventurous time in finishing joint ninth with Greg Owen, whose 75 was a big let-down after being second with a round to go.

Daly had eight birdies, but also six bogeys and only four pars for a 70 and five under aggregate, one better than Nick Faldo.

Lane had set a new course record with his 65 in the third round, but he no longer holds it on his own - Australian Adam Scott matched it to finish two under.

Scott's compatriot Richard Green needed a closing birdie for a 64, but instead the left-hander double-bogeyed the 18th.

Scores:

278 Angel Cabrera (Arg) 68 73 68 69 (£183,330)

279 Barry Lane 69 72 65 73 (£122,220)

280 Colin Montgomerie 71 67 73 69, Padraig Harrington 71 70 70 69, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 70 69 71 70 (£56,833 each)

281 Peter Baker 71 68 70 72 (£38,500)

282 Steve Webster 73 68 74 67, Peter Fowler (Aus) 71 69 73 69

283 John Daly (USA) 70 69 74 70, Greg Owen 66 72 70 75

284 Tom Gillis (USA) 72 72 73 67, Olle Karlsson (Swe) 78 68 70 68, Nick Faldo 72 72 69 71, Roger Wessels (Rsa) 69 69 73 73, Phillip Price 71 70 70 73, David Lynn 73 70 68 73

285 David Drysdale 71 69 77 68, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 71 70 72 72

286 Adam Scott (Aus) 74 71 76 65, Richard Green (Aus) 73 69 77 67, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 73 72 73 68, Peter Senior (Aus) 71 72 71 72, David Carter 68 78 69 71

287 Charlie Wi (Kor) 70 74 76 67, Ian Woosnam 67 72 78 70, Rolf Muntz (Ned) 71 71 75 70, Paul Lawrie 73 70 73 71, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 70 74 72 71, Bernhard Langer (Ger) 72 70 73 72, Malcolm Mackenzie 72 70 72 73, Ian Poulter 70 75 70 72

288 Stuart Little 71 73 77 67, Raymond Russell 73 71 74 70, Stephen Scahill (Nzl) 72 71 74 71, Michael Hoey 73 73 70 72, Eduardo Romero (Arg) 71 72 72 73, Alastair Forsyth 71 72 72 73, Sam Torrance 72 72 71 73, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 73 71 71 73, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra) 72 73 70 73

289 Richard Johnson (Swe) 73 70 77 69, Gary Orr 74 71 74 70, Bradley Dredge 74 70 73 72, Daren Lee 70 71 74 74, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 70 70 73 76

290 John Bickerton 72 68 80 70, Russell Claydon 71 74 74 71, David Gilford 73 73 72 72, Richard Bland 75 69 74 72, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 75 70 71 74

291 Thomas Bjorn (Den) 71 70 80 70, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 72 71 75 73, Santiago Luna (Spa) 72 70 75 74, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 77 68 71 75, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 75 71 70 75, Anthony Wall 68 71 75 77

292 Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa) 74 72 77 69, Brian Davis 73 73 73 73, Gary Evans 71 74 73 74, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 73 73 71 75

294 Lucas Parsons (Aus) 72 73 76 73, Paul Eales 72 72 76 74, Mark Foster 71 72 74 77

295 Mark Pilkington 75 70 81 69, Sandy Lyle 69 74 74 78

296 Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 69 77 76 74, Des Smyth 73 70 77 76

297 Andrew Marshall 74 72 77 74, Ian Garbutt 70 76 75 76, Mads Vide-Hastrup (Den) 72 73 74 78

298 Benoit Teilleria (Fra) 75 71 73 79

300 Eamonn Darcy 75 71 80 74, Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 73 72 76 79

302 Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 73 73 79 77

304 Mark Roe 73 71 76 84