Lee Westwood ended a two-year victory drought with a two-shot win at the Portugal Masters on Sunday.
The Englishman's six-under 66 gave him a score of 265 — 23 under — to finish ahead of Francesco Molinari at the Oceanico Victoria.
Westwood, who had a bogey-free round, nearly pitched in at No. 17 before sinking his birdie to gain a two shot lead as his Italian rival bogeyed the par three 16th.
"It was nice to finish it off, (because) you never know when the next win is going to come and you start to question yourself," said Westwood, who lost three playoffs and had 26 top-10 finishes since a British Masters triumph in September 2007. "Winning is definitely a habit and I got out of the habit. Hopefully now I have won again I can win more."
The $745,000 winner's paycheck moved the 36-year-old Westwood to the top of the European Tour money list and put him back into the world's top-five.
"You always slightly doubt yourself in the back of your mind and to be No. 1 again feels great," Westwood said. "I'm also delighted about the world rankings. I always have a good look at that and it's a reflection of my consistency."
Overnight leader Retief Goosen slumped to a 75 as the two-time U.S. Open champion ended six back of Westwood and tied for sixth.
Padraig Harrington shot 67 and was third at -19 after bouncing back from a third round 71 that the Irishman blamed on dehydration.
"I struggled to concentrate. I drank a phenomenal amount, just not enough," Harrington said. "My trainer was watching on TV and you can see it in your face — your eyes really."
Westwood bumped teenage golfer Rory McIlroy, who shot a 66, into second in the Race to Dubai standings, which has replaced the European Order of Merit title.
