England's Miles Tunnicliff, the leader since an opening 67, cruised to victory in the Diageo Championship by five strokes at windy Gleneagles.

The 35-year-old ranked 261st in the world achieved his second European tour victory after a superb closing 68. It was, by two shots, the biggest winning margin of the tour season so far.

Tunnicliff, who had recorded only two top-10 finishes since his shock win in the 2002 Great North Open at Slaley Hall near Newcastle, captured the £233,330 first prize with a 13-under-par total of 275.

"Some people thought I was maybe lucky with my first win, but I think I have proved them wrong," he said. "I am definitely a winner and I'm going to try to go on from here."

Three clear overnight, the Malaga-based player birdied the first two holes, sank a 20-footer for par on the next, had a mere 12 putts in an outward 33 and was the only player all day to keep a bogey or worse off his card.

The gap was still three after Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, winner of the Italian Open last year, had five successive birdies around the turn and then another on the 463-yard 15th.

But McDowell then ran up a double-bogey seven at the long next, finding a plugged lie in a greenside bunker and being unable to get it out first time.

Tunnicliff was in the same bunker, but splashed out to six feet and made it, then parred the 17th and so had the luxury of being able to run up a nine on the 533-yard last and still win.

Considering Londoner Chris Gane took 17 there last year - the second highest score on one hole in tour history - it was not quite over. But he parred it.

Last Wednesday Tunnicliff did not hit a single practice shot and was worried that a wrist hurt moving cases at home might keep him out.

But he strapped it up, had ice and ultra-sound treatment, popped a pain-killing tablet and gave the finest display of a career which has included 12 trips to the tour qualifying school - only four short of Phil Golding's record.

It is the third week in a row on the circuit that the title has gone to a long shot. Scott Drummond was 435th when he won the Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth and Simon Khan 255th going into the Wales Open.

McDowell said: "I can't be too hard on myself - 67 is pretty good out there. But the third shot to the 16th was highly disappointing.

"It was definitely a good decision to come here rather than go to US Open qualifying, though."

Scot Steven O'Hara, his team-mate in the 2001 Walker Cup win in America, shared third place with Australian Nick O'Hern.

Pre-tournament favourite Colin Montgomerie finished 22nd after a closing 72 and will now do something he has not done since 1991 - miss a major.

Montgomerie's fall outside the world's top 50 and his corresponding slide down the European rankings cost him an exempt place in the US Open and with his mind on sorting out his home life after his marriage break-up he did not try to qualify as Nick Faldo did.

"I'll try to get my apartment in order," said the Scot when asked about his plans for the coming week. "I've been away a lot and I want to try to make that into a home.

"There are more important things (than the US Open), I'm afraid. I'll get back into it, of course I will. We'll get through this."

He also has yet to earn a place in the Open over Royal Troon next month.

"I'm trying, but it's not easy," he added.

Compatriot Drummond, in his first event since his amazing win, fell back to nine over and 63rd spot with a 79.

The day contained two holes in one, first by Essex's Robert Coles at the 211-yard fourth and then by Scot Raymond Russell on the 208-yard 10th.

Collated final-round scores & totals (Gbr and Irl unless stated):

275 Miles Tunnicliff 67 68 72 68 (£233,330)

280 Graeme McDowell 69 71 73 67 (£155,550)

281 Steven O'Hara 73 72 69 67, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 67 73 70 71 (£78,820 each)

282 Andrew Oldcorn 74 73 68 67, David Lynn 71 73 70 68 (£54,180 each)

283 Paul McGinley 68 73 73 69, Raymond Russell 75 67 70 71, Russell Claydon 70 72 69 72

284 Peter O'Malley (Aus) 71 75 70 68, Richard Green (Aus) 69 74 72 69, Anthony Wall 74 72 69 69, Gary Murphy 70 74 70 70, Stephen Gallacher 72 73 69 70

285 Ross Drummond 73 75 69 68, Anders Hansen (Den) 72 74 64 75

286 Greig Hutcheon 74 70 72 70, Mark Roe 70 73 69 74, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 74 70 67 75, Henrik Nystrom (Swe) 72 73 67 74, Gary Evans 73 69 69 75

287 Peter Baker 70 72 73 72, Colin Montgomerie 71 73 71 72, Gary Emerson 73 70 71 73, Gary Emerson 73 70 71 73, David Howell 73 68 72 74, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 73 72 68 74, Santiago Luna (Spa) 68 75 67 77

288 Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 72 76 69 71, David Gilford 74 72 70 72, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 73 74 69 72, Ben Mason 72 72 69 75, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 71 70 71 76

289 Scott Henderson 77 71 72 69, Paul Broadhurst 75 72 71 71, David Drysdale 72 76 70 71, Andrew Marshall 74 74 69 72

290 Robert Coles 75 72 76 67, Alastair Forsyth 76 71 71 72, Jonathan Lomas 74 72 70 74, Terry Price (Aus) 73 69 73 75, Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 69 75 71 75

291 Steve Webster 74 72 74 71, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 74 73 72 72, Stephen Scahill (Nzl) 76 72 71 72, Paul Eales 73 70 73 75, Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 70 75 68 78

292 Jamie Elson 72 73 75 72, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 71 75 72 74, Craig Williams 70 76 72 74, Matthew Blackey 70 74 71 77

293 Marc Warren 74 74 74 71, Sandy Lyle 72 75 74 72, Euan Little 71 76 72 74, Sam Walker 72 73 72 76, Ivo Giner (Spa) 72 75 70 76, Pierre Fulke (Swe) 72 76 69 76

294 Jorge Berendt (Arg) 74 73 76 71, Rolf Muntz (Ned) 74 73 72 75, Philip Walton 71 76 71 76

295 Richard McEvoy 74 74 75 72

296 Mark King 71 76 74 75, Brett Rumford (Aus) 70 75 73 78

297 Ian Garbutt 71 77 76 73, Warren Bennett 72 75 74 76, Daniel Gaunt (Aus) 72 73 75 77, Sven Struver (Ger) 70 77 73 77, Chris Kelly 70 76 73 78, Scott Drummond 73 75 70 79

298 Gordon Law 70 77 79 72, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 74 73 75 76, Matthew Cort 72 74 72 80

299 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 73 75 75 76, Mattias Eliasson (Swe) 73 75 75 76

300 Alexandre Balicki (Fra) 77 69 72 82

302 Mattias Nilsson (Swe) 71 77 78 76

303 Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 73 74 74 82