Bjorn continues fine form with epic playoff victory

Thomas Bjorn's playoff victory in the Johnnie Walker Championship is the 12th of his European Tour career.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Thomas Bjorn wins a five-man playoff to secure Johnnie Walker title
• Bjorn's Gleneagles success was his second of 2011 and third in 14 months
• Dustin Johnson wins the shortened Barclays tournament by two strokes

(CNN) -- Denmark's Thomas Bjorn maintained his resurgence in form by holding his nerve to win an epic five-man playoff at the end of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
The 40-year-old, who also won the Qatar Masters in February, has now won three European Tour tournaments in 14 months, after going four years before claiming last year's Portugal Open.
Bjorn mastered the cold and windy conditions, on the Scottish course which will stage the 2014 Ryder Cup, securing the title on the fifth play-off hole with a birdie, a score South African George Coetzee failed to match.
The pair, along with Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal and England's Mark Foster finished their 72 holes tied on an 11-under-par score of 277.
But the other three fell away in the playoff, leaving Bjorn and Coetzee to battle it out for victory.

As they dropped out one by one it became harder but I am very proud of the way I played at the end
--Thomas Bjorn

"When you set off on a play-off with five guys you are almost too relaxed because it takes a lot for things to go your way," Bjorn, who has now won 12 Tour titles, told the official European Tour web site.
"As they dropped out one by one it became harder but I am very proud of the way I played at the end."
He continued: "It is my second win this year and I am thrilled with that. Hopefully there will be a few more victories to come."
Bjorn began the day three shots behind the overnight leaders Foster and Ignacio Garrido, but the Spaniard slumped to a closing 74 to drop out of contention.
Meanwhile, Dustin Johnson stormed to victory at The Barclays tournament in New Jersey after a third round six-under-par 65 gave him a two-stroke victory over Matt Kuchar.
Johnson's victory was set up by an extraordinary front nine which saw him out in 29 strokes and included five birdies and an eagle.
Defending champion Kuchar finished with a 68 with costly dropped shots at the par five 12th and par four 13th.
Brandt Snedeker finished in a tie for third with Fiji's Vijay Singh -- both players finishing three shots shy of Johnson's 19-under par 54-hole total of 194.

The event, at the Plainfield Country Club, was shortened to 54 holes due to the predicted threat of disruption by Hurricane Irene.