BMW International, final round leaderboard:
-18 D Horsey (Eng) -17 R Fisher (Eng) -16 A Cejka (Ger), P Larrazabal (Sp), R Cabrero-Bello (Sp), K Ferrie (Eng), B Dredge (Wal) -15 C Schwartzel (SA) -14 A Canizares (Sp), S Thornton (Eng)

Horsey rallied well from five strokes behind after the third days' play

England's David Horsey has secured the biggest win of his career at the BMW International Open in Munich.

The 25-year-old, who was joint fifth overnight, shot a five-under-par 67 in the final round to finish on 18 under, one shot ahead of Ross Fisher.

Long-time leader Bradley Dredge fell off the pace after a double-bogey six at the 16th and finished joint third.

But Stockport-born Horsey birdied the 16th and 18th to snatch victory and move into the top 100 in the world.

His flawless round featured five birdies and his maiden European Tour win lifted him from 188th to 94th in the world rankings.

"Never really in my wildest dreams did I think I would win this tournament," said Horsey, who won the Challenge Tour in his first full season as a professional and who had already posted two runners-up finishes on the main circuit.

"I wasn't really in the mix until 16 and coming down the last I didn't know what was going on. I just wanted to concentrate on what I was doing.

"The last few weeks have been a bit of a struggle (he had missed three cuts in a row) and I just wanted to relax this week. This win is what I've been trying to get for over a year. I felt I was good enough coming out on Tour, but maybe I put a little bit too much pressure on myself."

Welshman Dredge had led after all three rounds, holding a three-shot advantage at the start of the final round, and looked comfortable when he reached the turn two shots clear of the field.

But three bogeys in the next five holes saw his hopes fall apart.

Two three-putts on the 10th and 12th allowed Pablo Larrazabal to go past him, before the Spaniard produced a double-bogey of his own at the 16th, while in contrast Horsey, a 2007 Walker Cup team-mate of Rory McIlroy, pitched over the water to set himself up with an eight-foot birdie putt.

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Fisher's eagle at the par-five 18th pushed Dredge and Larrazabal further down the leaderboard.

Those two were not the only players to suffer at the 16th hole - world number eight Paul Casey ended the day with an injured left wrist and damaged sand wedge after trying to play his way out of a water hazard.

"I thought it was just reeds and mud and the ball was sitting up, but there was a big boulder just underneath that I couldn't see," said Casey, whose three-over par round of 75 saw him finish in 74th place, on one-under.

"The wrist is buzzing, but I think it will be all right.

"The sand wedge, though, is ruined and I was attached to it - it's the only one I've got of that style with the new grooves."

The Scottish challenge faded on the final day in Bavaria, with Peter Whiteford (72) and Paul Lawrie (74) sliding down the leaderboard.

Compatriot David Drysdale fared better with a 68 to join Whiteford in a share of 11th place.

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