Dane Thomas Bjorn finally got back to winning ways in Europe on Sunday - two years on from the heartbreak he suffered in the Open at Sandwich.

The 34-year-old won the Daily Telegraph Dunlop Masters at the Forest of Arden, beating England's Brian Davis and David Howell in a play-off and so denying them their first victory on home soil.

The trio tied on the six-under-par total of 282, one ahead of overnight leader Michael Campbell, who from three clear let himself down badly with a 73 in much the calmest weather of the week.

Davis was the first to exit sudden death by bogeying the 211-yard 18th, and when Bjorn and Howell played it again the Swindon golfer failed to get up and down from sand.

That was a repeat of what had happened at the 72nd hole when Howell was one ahead, leaving the Ryder Cup golfer with a 31st top-10 finish but still no wins since he captured the 1999 Dubai Desert Classic.

Bjorn, who at the 2003 Open lost to little-known Ben Curtis from three shots ahead with four holes to play, said: "It's been a wonderful week for me. This win has been a long time coming."

With the trophy came a cheque for £283,330 - and it also ought to banish any of the remaining demons which were so affecting Bjorn last summer that he eventually walked off the course during the European Open.

It was an eighth tour win for the man who served as one of Bernhard Langer's assistants at last year's Ryder Cup, having fallen out of contention for the team during the darkest spell of his career.

Now he is knocking on the door of the world's top 20 again - and aims to be part of new captain Ian Woosnam's line-up at the K Club near Dublin next year.

Howell, who had chipped in at the long 17th to match Bjorn's eagle there, said: "All the stuff I've been working on with my swing just didn't stand up to the pressure there at the end.

"I got lucky at the 17th because it was a poor swing with my second shot. I just needed one good swing on the last and just couldn't do it."

He also missed the green at the first hole of sudden death, but managed to get up and down on that occasion.

"I'm very disappointed," said Howell. "It was just a straightforward five-iron."

Earlier Darren Clarke had threatened to grab a sensational third victory on the course when, from eight adrift, he holed his second to the 563-yard third for an albatross two and turned in 30.

But Clarke eventually had to settle for a share of eighth and was understandably furious with himself for not capitalising on the chance he gave himself.

Clarke, who holed a 215-yard five-iron at the third, said: "It's always lucky when it goes in, but I was going great and it's disappointing to get in position to win and then finish like that."

He could not believe he flew a sand-wedge through the green at the 16th, drove into the rough on the long 17th and then found sand on the last for a second bogey.

Local hope Steve Webster, winner of last week's Italian Open and joint second overnight, shared the lead when Campbell double-bogeyed the 13th, but then Webster bogeyed the 14th and 16th himself.

Ian Poulter had the low round of the week with a 64, but he still managed only 16th spot. Colin Montgomerie, with whom Poulter shares the course record of 63, switched from belly putter to short putter and improved from 37th to 24th with a 69.

The Scot still needs to climb into the world's top 50 to avoid having to qualify for next month's US Open and has two more chances - this week's Irish Open on the Carden Park course near Dublin he designed, and the BMW Championship on the Wentworth course where he has won three times.

"Although a short putter is so much lighter and feels like a wand I won't be taking a long putter with me to Ireland," he said.

Davis, playing his first event in Europe after earning nearly £400,000 in America, commented: "It was a real struggle today - the swing was all over the place and I didn't have the speed on my putter all day.

"It a real battle, but I hung in there. I was a bit annoyed on the 10th because somebody hadn't raked the bunker. It cost me a shot and at the end of the day it has cost me the title." He bogeyed the hole.

"Things like that leave a bit of a sour taste in the mouth, but I had my chances and didn't get the job done."

Collated final round scores and totals in the European Tour Daily Telegraph Dunlop Masters at the Marriott Forest of Arden, Warwickshire, England

(Gbr and Irl unless stated, par 72):

282 Thomas Bjorn (Den) 73 68 73 68, Brian Davis 69 71 73 69, David Howell 69 72 72 69 (Bjorn won at 2nd play-off hole. Bjorn wins £283,330, Howell and Davis £147,650 each)

283 Michael Campbell (Nzl) 73 70 67 73 (£85,000)

284 Soren Hansen (Den) 70 71 76 67, Simon Khan 71 77 69 67, Steve Webster 72 71 70 71 (£60,860 each)

285 Darren Clarke 74 72 72 67, Robert-Jan Derksen (Ned) 71 75 70 69, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 73 73 70 69

287 Stephen Dodd 70 77 75 65, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 74 73 73 67, Johan Skold (Swe) 74 74 72 67, Barry Lane 70 76 73 68, Gary Murphy 75 73 68 71

288 Ian Poulter 75 76 73 64, Roger Chapman 73 73 76 66, Graeme McDowell 74 75 73 66, Mark Roe 75 73 71 69, David Drysdale 72 74 72 70

289 Marcus Fraser (Aus) 73 72 76 68, Ian Woosnam 74 71 75 69, Brett Rumford (Aus) 72 74 74 69

290 Colin Montgomerie 72 75 74 69, Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 71 74 74 71, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 70 76 73 71, Bradley Dredge 74 73 72 71, Markus Brier (Aut) 74 73 72 71, Damien McGrane 72 77 70 71, Oliver Wilson 72 73 71 74

291 Richard Sterne (Rsa) 73 74 75 69, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 77 71 74 69, Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 73 73 75 70, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 70 75 74 72, Paul Broadhurst 73 73 70 75

292 Paul McGinley 72 79 73 68, David Lynn 69 77 76 70, Richard Green (Aus) 72 73 74 73, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 74 73 72 73

293 Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 74 73 73 73, Christian Cevaer (Fra) 72 74 73 74, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 73 73 73 74, Alessandro Tadini (Ita) 72 74 72 75

294 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa) 75 74 72 73

295 Philip Golding 73 74 80 68, Stephen Gallacher 71 78 75 71, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 74 76 72 73, Robert Coles 74 76 71 74, Scott Drummond 70 75 75 75

296 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 75 75 76 70, Gary Orr 76 74 76 70, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra) 75 73 77 71, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 78 73 74 71, Lee Westwood 76 75 74 71, Andrew Marshall 72 77 74 73, Simon Dyson 71 73 76 76

297 Peter Baker 71 73 76 77

298 Marten Olander (Swe) 74 77 78 69, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 75 75 75 73, Terry Price (Aus) 72 79 74 73, Ian Garbutt 74 77 74 73, Sam Torrance 76 74 74 74, Pierre Fulke (Swe) 70 77 76 75, Stuart Manley 79 71 73 75

299 Martin Maritz (Rsa) 74 77 75 73, Phillip Archer 75 75 75 74, Stuart Little 72 78 74 75, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 73 74 76 76, Jamie Spence 75 75 72 77, Richard Finch 70 75 74 80

300 Leif Westerberg (Swe) 72 77 74 77

301 Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 74 74 84 69

302 Andrew Coltart 74 77 79 72, Mark Foster 76 74 79 73, Robert Rock 72 76 77 77

304 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 73 78 78 75, Benoit Teilleria (Fra) 74 77 78 75