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

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 €350,000 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 after plugging 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. In the end, he settled for a par.

Last Wednesday Tunnicliff did not hit a single practice shot and was worried that a wrist injured while 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.

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."

Paul McGinley was at one point in joint second with McDowell, but bogeys at the 15th and 17th saw him slip back to a share of seventh on five under par.

Gary Murphy was a shot further back after a 70 while Philip Walton slipped to a closing 76.

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.

"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 British Open over Royal Troon next month.

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