His triumph and the second and third place finishes of Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sergio Garcia, the only other Ryder Cup players in this event, will have sent a strong message to the U.S. team ahead of the bienniel clash at Oakland Hills in 12 days time.

"It is great for the European morale," Donald said.

Once again, Paul Broadhurst and Tom Whitehouse vied for the title of most frustrated golfer, although Robert Rock had reason to be cheerful after a 68.

Broadhurst, as on Saturday, played well for 11 holes.

"It's was the same as the last three days. I got off to a good start and was two-under after 11. But holes 12, 13 and 17 have destroyed me every day. I must have dropped 10 shots on those three holes," he said.

"I've just dropped a shot with a sand wedge from 64 yards and I know I can't get it on the green. It's just a lottery," he added of the cement-like greens that are the unfortunate byproduct of the warm dry weather.

"The course is badly designed. The greens are rock hard and the holes are shaved on the edge so you hit a chip on the green and it rolls off. Then you have a very tough chip chipping back into an upslope, trying to kill it and let it die over the top and you can't do it every time. So you make bogeys from nothing," he said.

Rock managed to improve his iron play overnight after discovering a fault in his backswing on Saturday.

"I parred the last for a 68. I think I've ironed out the problem. I hit them quite nicely today," he said. "I hit it quite good all the way around today and putted

well. Mark (Roe) helped me a little yesterday and that seemed to help quite a

lot. It was a decent finish."

He felt he is not yet quite back to his fine form of last year. "It's getting closer, yes. I'd like to be."

Rock headed home Sunday wanting to play this week in Cologne and awaiting word on the subject. "I'd like to play but I don't know if I'm in yet. If not, I'll have a week off."

That left it to Whitehouse to reveal his frustration.

"The word "Disneyland" comes to mind," he said.

"I played all right today. I hit it in the water at 14. I made six, but at least I went for it. I birdied the hole after that.

"I've never seen anything like it, on the back nine some of the pins are just ... I was in prime position on every hole. Wedged it in on the 10th, it bounced on line, goes off the green right and I end up making five.

"I made two at 11 despite the fact that the pin was sitting in the fringe on the back. Then I chipped on at 12. It landed 10 feet short and ran off the green sideways."

"I've never seen anything like it in my life. I bogeyed that hole. Par the next. Next, in the water. Birdied the next but 16 is just a joke.

"If you're going to have pin positions like that, the greens have to be soft and holding. You can't fly it on the green. If you pitch it short it stops. Then you have a tricky, horrible chip from the front. It's horrible.

"At 17, I was in the middle of the fairway, 70 yards, thought don't pitch it on the green. I pitched it 20 yards short on the right fringe and it finished about an inch from the left hand bunker when it finished.

"This is the classic of all. On 15, I couldn't putt at the hole. If I had tried to hole it, I'd have gone off the green. I had to putt it way right and just try and get it five or six feet right of the flag. If I had got it going at any pace anywhere near the left side, I was chipping again."

"It's probably been the best weather all year. It's a lovely place. But it's just a

monster," Whitehouse said.

He is not in this week's Linde German Masters, so he will return instead to the Challenge Tour where this week's event is the Telia Grand Prix in Sweden.