Golf:Martin Kaymer made it an incredible three wins in a row with a three-stroke victory in the Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews. The German, winner of the US PGA title in August and the KLM Open in Holland last month, shot a superb 66 in cold and windy conditions to deny England's Danny Willett his first European Tour title.
Lee Westwood, needing a top two finish to replace Tiger Woods as world number one, fell back to joint 11th with a 73.
But Westwood, struggling with a recurrence of his calf injury, then confirmed he will not play again until next month at the earliest — and that guarantees he will end the five-year reign of Woods in three weeks’ time unless the American changes his plans and enters a tournament.
The Irish pair of Pádraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell finished six-under-par after a 73 and a 72 respectively. Shane Lowry dropped two shots to end up on two over alongside Rory McIlroy, who carded a 75.
For Kaymer, now up to world number four and more than €983,000 clear of McDowell at the top of the European money list, it completed a dream week.
Six days after achieving another victory on his cup debut at Celtic Manor he produced a superb six under par 66 to beat English pair Danny Willett and John Parry - Walker Cup team-mates three years ago - by three and four shots respectively.
Vicar's son Willett threatened to spring an upset when he sank a 50-foot eagle putt from off the green at the long 14th to go into the joint lead.
But Kaymer wasted no time putting the 23-year-old from Yorkshire in his place. He followed him in from 25 feet for birdie, then made his own outrageous 40-footer from left of the 17th green.
And although his final drive finished on Granny Clark's Wynd, the road crossing the fairway, he hit his second off the tarmac to six feet and made it for yet another birdie.
Kaymer took the €573,600 first prize with a 17 under par aggregate of 271. It was his fourth win of the season - and the last person to do that in Europe was also Woods in 2006.
"To make a four at the 17th feels like a birdie, so I don't know how I managed a three," he said. "I just tried to focus on the putt."
And as for playing off the road he added: "I was just trying to get it beyond the flag."
Although he described Monday night's celebrations as one of the best parties of his life - it included karaoke, dancing and table tennis before he retired just before 3am - Kaymer said he had no difficulty getting his focus straight back.
"I could feel the alcohol the next day, but I spoke to my dad on the phone and we talked about how I had to finish better than I did at The Open."
Kaymer finished seventh on the Old Course then, but closed with three successive bogeys. This time it was a magical birdie-birdie conclusion.
"It was always one of my dreams to win here. I can still remember my first day here as an amateur, walking down the first hole and over the bridge - it felt very special to me.
"If you would have given me a par on 17 I would have given you a lot of money - that was more luck than skill."
As for three wins in a row he added: "I'm surprised as well. I don't really have answer for why I am playing so well at the moment."
Parry led by two overnight and was one in front with nine to play, but he three-putted the 11th and 13th, then went in a gorse bush for a double bogey seven on the next.
Willett has now had 16 top-10 finishes on the circuit.
This was his seventh of the season, but the nearest he has come to winning so far and he stated: "I'm getting there. I just need to keep putting myself in contention."
Parry commented: "I lost all my momentum. It's not like I bottled it, I just dont think I was playing well enough on the day."
Collated final round scores & totals in the European Tour Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, St Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland
(Gbr & Irl unless stated, Irish in bold, par 72):
271Martin Kaymer (Ger) 68 69 68 66
274Danny Willett 67 73 67 67
275John Parry 67 65 71 72
276Gary Boyd 69 72 67 68
277Martin Laird 66 75 69 67, Simon Dyson 69 70 72 66, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 68 69 68 72
280David Howell 69 73 71 67, Phillip Price 70 70 68 72, Richard McEvoy 72 71 69 68
281Ross Fisher 69 68 74 70, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 66 73 71 71, Alan McLean 68 73 69 71, Lee Westwood 70 72 66 73, Thomas Levet (Fra) 70 72 68 71, Johan Edfors (Swe) 70 72 69 70
282 Graeme McDowell 70 68 72 72, Stephen Gallacher 69 72 70 71, Alexander Noren (Swe) 72 71 69 70, Pádraig Harrington 71 68 70 73
283Tim Wilkinson (Nzl) 67 74 69 73
284Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 69 74 71 70, Anton Haig (Rsa) 73 72 68 71, Paul Lawrie 71 72 72 69, Paul Waring 68 74 69 73, Ernie Els (Rsa) 70 74 70 70, Matteo Manassero (Ita) 75 71 69 69, Bradley Dredge 73 71 70 70
285Richard Bland 68 72 73 72, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 71 70 74 70, Adilson Da Silva (Bra) 69 72 70 74, David Lynn 69 73 70 73, Anthony Wall 73 69 71 72, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 77 66 70 72, Anthony Kang (USA) 69 76 69 71, Richard Green (Aus) 71 76 67 71
286Anders Hansen (Den) 71 72 71 72, Soren Hansen (Den) 72 73 70 71, Marcel Siem (Ger) 69 71 73 73, Graeme Storm 68 73 71 74
287Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 66 74 72 75, Colin Montgomerie 72 72 72 71, Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 71 74 71 71, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 66 75 71 75
288Sam Hutsby 73 76 67 72, Steve Webster 70 71 74 73, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 67 72 77 72
289James Kingston (Rsa) 69 76 69 75, Richard Finch 68 75 71 75, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 70 75 70 74, Andrew Coltart 69 71 74 75, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 69 72 73 75
290 Rory McIlroy 71 74 70 75, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 73 72 71 74, Shane Lowry 69 78 69 74, Phillip Archer 72 71 73 74, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 69 76 71 74
291Joost Luiten (Ned) 73 71 72 75, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 72 75 67 77
292Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 68 68 79 77
296George Coetzee (Rsa) 73 70 71 82