EAGLE-EYED Gary Emerson banked his biggest pay cheque of the season in Munich on Sunday (Aug 31) to boost his chances of keeping his European Tour card.

The 39-year-old Broadstone touring professional won £21,000 after finishing in a five-way tie for 11th place in the BMW International Open.

With just seven events remaining, Emerson has moved up 13 places to 137th in the Order of Merit and is approximately £28,000 off the pace for the coveted 115th berth and safety.

Emerson's final round two-under-par 70 featured an eagle three at the par five sixth and a spectacular two on the 319 yard par four 16th.

Holing the wedge shot from 106 yards propelled Emerson back up the leaderboard and he secured his top-11 finish with a birdie four at the last.

"I'm happy with my overall performance and it is a step in the right direction," said Emerson, who had dropped out of the top five with a disappointing 73 on Saturday.

"I'd liked to have won enough to keep my card in one hit, but this has given me a fighting chance.

"The conditions were a lot tougher at the weekend and the putts didn't drop as often as they did the first few days," added Emerson, who finished with a 13-under par 275 total.

Emerson did, however, share the lead for a brief spell on Saturday when he birdied the ninth to go to 14 under par.

But a missed short putt on the 10th and a double bogey on the 17th saw Emerson slip out of contention during the latter stages.

An emotional Lee Westwood won the £207,000 first prize after carding a final-round 66 for a 19-under total of 269 and a three-shot victory over Germany's Alex Cejka.

The 30-year-old from Worksop had not won since the last of his seven victories worldwide in 2000 which saw him end Colin Montgomerie's seven-year reign as European number one.

Another pay day for Poole's Shaun Webster, meanwhile, saw him climb to 112th in the Order of Merit after finishing in tied 58th following rounds of 68, 70, 76 and 72.

Dorset's other contender Lee James enjoyed a welcome return to form, sharing 42nd position after rounds of 71, 69, 68 and 73.

The 1994 British Amateur champion and reigning Challenge Tour champion, however, is still languishing in 184th place in the European standings and needs several big-money finishes to avoid a trip back to the Qualifying School in November.