Denmark's Thomas Bjorn won the BMW International Open for the second time in three years, again denying Bernhard Langer victory in the only tour event on German soil he has failed to win.

Bjorn carded a final-round 66 for a 24-under-par total of 264 at Nord-Eichenried and a four-shot victory over Ryder Cup team-mate Langer and Midlander John Bickerton.

Luton's Ian Poulter, himself on standby for the Ryder Cup, shared fourth place with Welshman David Park, with Southampton's Richard Bland a shot further back after a bogey on the last.

On a weekend when Colin Montgomerie was rated as only 50/50 to play at The Belfry, Padraig Harrington revealed he would have a scan on his ankle injury and Phillip Price missed the cut, the form of Bjorn, Langer and Poulter was the perfect boost for captain Sam Torrance, who ironically pulled out after nine holes on Thursday with a back injury.

"I'm sure Sam is sitting at home very happy," said Bjorn, who beat Langer by three shots two years ago. "It was good that we went out head to head.

"That's the feeling you need to get, you need that sensation of how hard it is playing under pressure."

Bjorn and Langer played together on all four days and could be asked to pair up again in less than four weeks' time at The Belfry.

"Playing with Bernhard would be great," added Bjorn after picking up the winner's cheque for £191,000 and moving to 13th on the Volvo Order of Merit. "He is a great professional because he plays sensible golf.

"Sometimes it drives people crazy because it takes a long time but he is very professional! Because he is that good and has so much experience he will be needed to partner someone else and if I can go in with a lot of confidence I can help someone else. That is for Sam to decide.

"But there is nobody on that team that I can not play with."

Langer, who will make his 10th Cup appearance at The Belfry, added: "There is a chance to play with Thomas at the Ryder Cup and I would be very happy to because he is very likeable and we get on very well.

"What happens here is not really relevant to what happens in four weeks' time, that's when we have to play well again, but it's certainly a confidence boost for the Ryder Cup.

"I am happy and I hope everyone is going to be in top form then."

Bjorn, 31, began the day with a two-shot lead and was always in control after three birdies in four holes from the third.

Another birdie on the ninth took him out in 32 and extended his lead to three shots, and after his only bogey of the day on the 10th he responded superbly with another brace of birdies.

Langer, who has won every European Tour event in his home country at least twice apart from this one, had also picked up four birdies on the front nine and chipped in to save par on the fifth after duffing his third shot.

But he was not so fortunate after another fluffed chip on the eighth, and after matching Bjorn's bogey on the 10th the veteran German was never able to get within striking distance of his playing partner.

It was then left to Bjorn to finish in style with a birdie from 10 feet on the 18th to seal his seventh tour title.

"My game started to come together in America last week and I felt very comfortable coming here," added Bjorn. "I know I can play well on this course and I just stuck my head down and concentrated and focused 1001776n me and no-one else.

"It's tough to play with Bernhard for four days in Germany because there are so many people around and you are always having to step off shots but I kept my focus and held my emotions very well."

Bickerton, who also finished second in the Wales Open last month, praised the input of coach and former tour winner Peter Mitchell after closing with two rounds of 66 at the weekend.

"I roomed with Pete for years and he always kept an eye on me," said Bickerton, who hit all 18 greens in regulation on the final day. "He works with about seven or eight of us now and I think he's going to go down that route.

"I saw him last week and he just told me to keep on doing what I was and I'm on a bit of a high at the moment. If those three birdie putts on the last three holes had gone in, who knows what might have been, but Thomas was always just too far ahead.

"Every time I looked up he made another birdie. When I got to 20 under I thought I must be one behind but I was still three behind."

Collated final scores (GB & Ire unless stated):

264 Thomas Bjorn (Den) 68 64 66 66 (£191,771)

268 John Bickerton 67 69 66 66, Bernhard Langer (Ger) 64 69 67 68 (£99,938 each)

271 David Park 68 67 69 67, Ian Poulter 65 66 70 70 (£53,159 each)

272 Richard Bland 65 66 69 72 (£40,272)

273 Paul Casey 72 63 71 67, Philip Golding 69 65 69 70, David Lynn 67 67 68 71

274 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 68 68 69 69, John Daly (USA) 70 70 65 69, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 66 72 65 71

275 Robert Coles 65 73 71 66, Anthony Wall 70 69 65 71, Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 69 67 67 72, Jamie Spence 67 64 70 74

276 Barry Lane 68 69 71 68, Padraig Harrington 70 70 68 68, Peter Senior (Aus) 70 68 67 71

277 Steen Tinning (Den) 68 67 73 69, Marten Olander (Swe) 69 67 71 70, Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 70 69 68 70, Mathias Gronberg (Swe) 70 67 68 72

278 Darren Fichardt (Rsa) 67 71 72 68, Mark Roe 71 69 69 69, Justin Rose 70 67 71 70, Simon Dyson 70 67 71 70, Nick Dougherty 70 67 70 71, Rolf Muntz (Rsa) 70 65 70 73, Simon Khan 68 71 66 73, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 71 69 65 73, Paul McGinley 70 68 66 74, David Howell 70 65 68 75

279 Alastair Forsyth 68 67 75 69, Marcel Siem (Ger) 72 67 71 69, Ian Garbutt 71 68 69 71, Richard Green (Aus) 71 69 66 73

280 Gary Evans 68 72 72 68, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 67 67 76 70, Gary Clark 70 67 72 71, Bradley Dredge 70 68 71 71, Jean Hugo (Rsa) 71 68 69 72, Warren Bennett 72 66 69 73, Thomas Levet (Fra) 69 71 66 74, Santiago Luna (Spa) 71 69 65 75

281 Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 69 65 73 74, Andrew Marshall 69 69 69 74

282 Markus Brier (Aut) 69 70 74 69, Henrik Bjornstad (Nor) 69 66 76 71, Gary Orr 70 68 73 71, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 69 70 70 73, Andrew Coltart 70 68 68 76, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 70 69 67 76

283 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 71 69 71 72, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 70 69 71 73, (x) Christian Reimbold (Ger) 72 68 70 73, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 67 72 70 74

284 David Gilford 70 70 74 70, Russell Claydon 67 72 73 72, Adam Mednick (Swe) 72 65 72 75, Jorge Berendt (Arg) 69 70 70 75, Scott Gardiner (Aus) 71 68 69 76

286 Gary Emerson 69 71 74 72, Tino Schuster (Ger) 73 67 73 73, Greg Owen 69 69 73 75, Sven Struver (Ger) 68 72 71 75

287 Daren Lee 68 68 78 73, Robert-Jan Derksen (Ned) 73 67 73 74, David Geall 70 68 73 76

290 Gordon Brand Jnr 68 72 78 72