Lucas Bjerregaard produced one of the best performances of his career at the perfect moment to claim his maiden European Tour title at the Portugal Masters.

The Dane, who came into the week battling to save his card, fired eight birdies in a closing 65 to finish 20 under par in Vilamoura, four clear of Scotland’s Marc Warren.

The 26 year old was never caught during the final round, and afterwards admitted he had been keen to take control of his own destiny.

“Today is up there with one of my best rounds,” said Bjerregaard. “Not so much the six under around here, I’ve done that before, but under the pressure some of the shots I hit – the two shots I hit on 17 are some of the best I’ve hit in a long time. 

“I felt like it was my time to go out and grab it and not wait for someone to hand it to me.”

“To be honest it’s been really tough this year, so to be in contention again felt really good and to come out on top feels even better. I felt pretty confident. My girlfriend asked me this morning if I was nervous and I said ‘no, don’t worry I’ve got this’, probably more to calm her down than anything.

“I’ve been in this position a couple of times before so to finally come through and get my first win feels really good.”