FINAL LEADERBOARD: -5 B Langer (Ger) -4 C Pavin (US) -1 P Senior (Aus), R Cochran (US), JD Blake (US), F Funk (US) level T Dodds (Nam)
Selected others: +1 I Woosnam (Wal)+5 M James (Eng) +15 S Torrance (Sco)

Langer had seven previous top-10 finishes in senior majors

Bernhard Langer shot a calm final round of 72 to clinch his first senior major with a one-shot win in the Senior Open.

The 52-year-old German, who led from day one, began the final round with a three-shot advantage, but US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin cut the gap to one.

Two ahead at 18 Langer could afford a closing bogey, while Ian Woosnam double bogeyed the last and was joint eighth.

Langer is the first European winner since 2000 and his triumph ends a run of eight successive American victories.

Langer opted for a cautious approach at the formidable 18th at Carnoustie, scene of Jean van de Velde's disastrous seven at the 1999 Open.

His three-wood finished perilously close to the Barry Burn but after laying up into the centre of the fairway, a smooth third finished in the centre of the green and having lagged his first putt he brushed in from 18 inches with his broomhandle putter as Pavin could only make par.

"This ranks pretty close to my two US Masters and some of the Ryder Cups I've been involved in," he said.

"I've always wanted to win the Open Championship, I probably never will now but this is the next best thing."

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