Zanotti makes golf history

Cologne - Fabrizio Zanotti on Sunday became the first Paraguay-born player to win on the European Tour, defeating world number two Henrik Stenson at the fifth extra play-off hole to capture the BMW International Open near Cologne.

The 31-year old Asuncion-born player posted a final round 65 to join Stenson (67), Frenchman Gregory Havret (66) and Spain's Rafa Cabrera-Bello (67) in the play-off in the 2million euros event on the Gut Larcenhof course.

After Havret dropped out at the second extra hole, the current 305th world ranked Zanotti, competing in his 180th Tour event, matched the birdies of Stenson and Cabrera-Bello at the third extra hole when rain began falling heavily.

Stenson and Cabrera-Bello were then in rough off the tee at the fourth extra hole, the par four 18th, with the Spaniard dropping out after finding water guarding the green with his second shot.

Stenson was forced to lay-up short of the green before then matching Zanotti's par.

However, Stenson then found the water with his tee shot at the fifth extra hole, the shortened par four 17th, with Zanotti laying-up with the aim of getting a par.

Leading final scores in the EPGA BMW International Open at the par-72 Gut-Larcenhof course in Cologne on Sunday (GBR and IRL unless noted):

269 - Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR) 72 67 65 65 (Won at the fifth playoff hole), Rafael Cabrera Bello (ESP) 64 68 70 67, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 68 68 66 67, Gregory Havret (FRA 71 65 67 66

270 - Jamie Donaldson 71 67 65 67, Simon Dyson 69 66 69 66, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 71 66 68 65

271 - Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 66 66 70 69, Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 70 66 66 69, Danny Willett 64 68 71 68, Pablo Larrazabal (ESP) 69 63 67 72

272 - Francesco Molinari (ITA) 71 66 65 70, Paul Waring 72 63 69 68, Oliver Fisher 72 66 65 69, Alex Cejka (GER) 68 66 69 69, Anthony Wall 69 69 68 66, Romain Wattel (FRA) 67 68 69 68, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 71 66 70 65, Shane Lowry 67 68 70 67, Richard Green (AUS) 72 68 62 70, Alexander Levy (FRA) 70 67 66 69

273 - Robert Karlsson (SWE) 68 66 68 71, Paul Casey 73 67 63 70, Tyrrell Hatton 69 67 70 67, Anders Hansen (DEN) 66 72 67 68, Mark Foster 70 69 65 69, Michael Hoey 66 69 69 69

274 - Matthew Nixon 69 67 69 69, Branden Grace (RSA) 67 67 74 66, Jens Dantorp (SWE) 68 68 67 71

275 - Eddie Pepperell 72 64 72 67, Julien Quesne (FRA) 71 68 69 67