Mansfield's Greg Owen finally landed his first European tour victory on Sunday - and in the process stopped Ian Poulter earning a place in the record books.

After no fewer than 21 top-10 finishes Owen won the Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters at the Forest of Arden by three strokes from Poulter and Frenchman Christian Cevaer.

Poulter, runner-up to Justin Rose last year and winner of last week's Wales Open, was trying to become the first player in tour history to win after surviving the halfway cut with nothing to spare.

But Owen held his nerve, moving six strokes clear with four to play and then hitting back from a mini-slump to produce a clinching birdie at the long 17th.

"I couldn't have played the hole any better," said the 31-year-old, playing his 158th tour event.

He hit a drive and three-iron to 12 feet and even though he did not eagle it for the second day running two putts were good enough to end all his worries.

"I showed I can hang in there when I need to. I was always wondering and hopefully I can go on from here.

"To win in England in this event is a dream come true. Fantastic, just fantastic."

Poulter had given himself the chance of history with a course record-equalling third round of 63 and when he went to the turn in 33 he might have hoped to be closer than four behind.

But Owen matched that, also having a hat-trick of birdies, and when Poulter bogeyed both the 12th and 13th the gap was six and, barring a complete nightmare, the £250,000 title was his. The nightmare did not come.

Bogeys at the 15th and 16th reduced the gap to three and while he also bogeyed the last the four at the 17th meant the issue was beyond doubt.

The win felt all the better because of what happened in the Portuguese Open in April.

Owen thought his maiden victory was coming there when he took a two-stroke lead with five holes to play. But after bogeying the next two holes he missed a four-foot birdie putt on the 17th, then bogeyed the last to finish only fifth.

"I was absolutely gutted - I've never felt like that before. I didn't want to play and go through that again," he said.

"I should have won it comfortably and (afterwards) I just wanted to spend time with my little girl."

It took a heart-to-heart with coach David Ridley to put him back together and Owen has also had help from Paul Lloyd Davies, a former world jujitsu champion.

"He trains me during the winter and we work hard at trying to keep calm and focused. We haven't worked hard on psychology this year, but are intending to start next week."

Owen turned professional at 20, but did not appear on the European tour until four years later - and in nine events earned a mere £2,750.

It was a happier story after he regained a tour card at the 1997 qualifying school and he has been a member of Europe's top 40 for the past three seasons, hitting the headlines when he led the 2001 Open at Lytham for a while in a week which also saw him grab an albatross two.

He joined the tour's Millionaires Club last season, but what all his friends wanted to know was when his first win was going to come.

Now it has and he does not have to answer that question ever again. It was a good win too, not only in the prestige of the title, but also the manner in which he achieved it. Until his late slip-ups he had only two bogeys in 68 holes.

Poulter, who had to make a closing 25-footer to tie with Cevaer, said: "The shot Greg hit into the 17th was fantastic and every credit to him. It meant he could enjoy the last.

"I'm delighted. Everyone says it is difficult to play the week after you win and even as late as Tuesday I was contemplating not playing. I'm happy I did!"

Cevaer, who closed with two birdies, matched his best-ever finish a year after fracturing his right elbow in a skiing accident.

He stated: "Thanks to the physio service on the European tour I get it warmed up before I play and it is not a bother on the course."

Little-known Robert Rock, from the Swingers Golf Centre near Tamworth, and Argentinian Jorge Berendt were happy men too.

Rock is close to securing a tour card without having to go through the qualifying school ordeal after a four-week spell in which he has finished 22nd, 23rd, 41st and now fourth - a position he shared with pre-tournament favourite Darren Clarke and Londoner Anthony Wall.

"I knew if I could play somewhere near by best I could do it," he said after winning £63,700 to take his earnings to more than £110,000.

Berendt was a stroke further back on seven under, but won himself a £35,000 Jaguar for finishing nearest-the-hole on the 211-yard 18th. His shot ended up only 33 inches away.

Collated final totals (Gbr and Irl unless stated, par 72)

274 Greg Owen 68 68 67 71 (£250,000)

277 Christian Cevaer (Fra) 73 70 66 68, Ian Poulter 71 73 63 70 (£130,280 each)

280 Darren Clarke 71 71 72 66, Robert Rock 73 69 70 68, Anthony Wall 72 70 67 71 (£63,700 each)

281 Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 70 72 72 67, Stephen Gallacher 69 71 71 70, Jorge Berendt (Arg) 72 72 67 70, David Lynn 66 71 71 73

282 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 70 73 70 69, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 69 74 70 69, Fredrik Andersson (Swe) 74 70 68 70, Mathias Gronberg (Swe) 73 71 66 72, Richard Green (Aus) 70 66 71 75

283 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 75 69 69 70, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 67 72 73 71, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 72 70 70 71, Marcel Siem (Ger) 66 71 74 72, Philip Golding 69 73 69 72, Mark Roe 71 70 69 73, Darren Fichardt (Rsa) 72 66 71 74, Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 69 69 71 74

284 Justin Rose 69 75 73 67, Gary Orr 72 72 72 68, Jarrod Moseley (Aus) 70 73 70 71, Andrew Coltart 68 73 70 73, David Howell 72 71 67 74, Barry Lane 73 68 68 75

285 David Gilford 70 73 71 71, Gregory Havret (Fra) 73 71 70 71, Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 70 72 71 72, Markus Brier (Aut) 71 72 70 72, Peter Baker 69 74 68 74, Peter Fowler (Aus) 65 75 69 76

286 Lee Westwood 67 76 73 70, Sandy Lyle 72 71 73 70, Philip Archer 71 73 72 70, Simon Wakefield 71 71 73 71, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 72 70 71 73, Marten Olander (Swe) 75 67 71 73, Charlie Wi (Kor) 72 72 68 74, Stephen Scahill (Nzl) 73 71 67 75, Matthew Blackey 70 68 70 78

287 Iain Pyman 71 72 73 71, Santiago Luna (Spa) 70 74 71 72, Gordon Brand Jnr 71 73 71 72, Costantino Rocca (Ita) 69 72 73 73, Henrik Bjornstad (Nor) 73 71 69 74, Brian Davis 72 70 69 76, Jamie Donaldson 70 71 68 78

288 Euan Little 72 71 72 73, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 69 71 73 75, Peter Lawrie 69 74 70 75, Mark James 71 72 67 78

289 Gary Emerson 71 72 78 68, Matthew Cort 69 72 75 73, Robert-Jan Derksen (Ned) 70 73 73 73, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 75 67 72 75, Mark Mouland 74 70 69 76, James Kingston (Rsa) 72 70 70 77, Brett Rumford (Aus) 71 70 69 79

290 Robert Coles 76 68 76 70, Adam Mednick (Swe) 72 69 74 75, Fernando Roca (Spa) 73 70 72 75, Bradley Dredge 72 72 70 76

291 Fredrik Orest (Swe) 71 73 75 72, Raymond Russell 66 77 75 73, Paul Eales 72 72 74 73, Damien McGrane 75 67 74 75

292 Gary Birch 72 69 76 75, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 71 71 74 76, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 67 76 68 81

294 Jesus Maria Arruti (Spa) 66 76 76 76

298 Ivo Giner (Spa) 73 69 73 83