Marco Penge held his nerve in a play-off to defeat fellow Englishman Daniel Brown and take the Spanish Open title in Madrid.
Penge held a four-shot lead over nearest challenger Joel Girrbach going into the final round, while he was five shots better off than Brown.
However, he only had a one-shot advantage going to the 18th on Sunday after his lead was trimmed.
After Penge made par to finish with a one-over 72 for his final round at the Club de Campo, Brown sank a birdie putt for a 67 which forced a play-off as both finished on 15 under.
At the first time of asking in the sudden-death play-off, Penge birdied the 18th with an eight-foot putt to secure a third European Tour title of the season.
Penge’s victory in Spain also means he has automatically qualified for the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale next year as well at the Masters at Augusta.
“It was a strange day for me,” said Penge, who carded 66, 67 and 64 in his first three rounds.
“I had it in my head that the golfing gods were kind of against me in a way. Dan and Joel played great, they were holing putts and putting the pressure on me.
“I just couldn’t get it in the hole. It felt like I was really up against it, but I felt like I managed myself really well.”
Penge was given a three-month ban in December 2024 for placing bets on multiple events, with one month suspended for a year.
He has resumed his career in fine fashion and said: “I think tee to green I played solid and it was just a matter of the putts – I think I used them all yesterday, but holing that one [on the play-off hole] was worth the wait.”
Switzerland’s Girrbach finished with a 69 as he ended up in third place on 14 under.
Three-time champion Jon Rahm carded a closing 65, which included seven birdies and a bogey, as the Spaniard finished tied for ninth at his home Open.
