Ernie Els celebrates timely triumph in Munich

Ernie Els birdied the last hole to secure a narrow victory in the BMW International Open in Munich as he continued his preparations to defend his Open title next month.

The South African carded his third consecutive round of 69 to finish 18 under par as he clinched victory by one shot from Thomas Bjorn. "It's great to get my name on this wonderful trophy," the 43-year-old said. "Obviously it gives me a lot of confidence [ahead of the start of the Open]."