Ross Fisher won the KLM Open yesterday, but feared his maiden victory on the European Tour was about to be short-lived when officials began an investigation into a possible rules infringement in his final round at Zandvoort, in the Netherlands.

The Englishman, who is based at Wentworth, led by four shots with five holes to play but struggled on the closing stretch — bogeying the 16th and 17th holes — and needed a birdie from eight feet at the last to complete what he thought was a one-stroke victory over Joost Luiten, the local favourite.

But before he could celebrate, Fisher, 26, was asked to explain why he had moved a bramble before playing his second shot at the par-five 12th hole and was taken back to the spot to show what he had done.

After explaining himself and reviewing television footage with the tournament referees, however, he was given the all-clear to collect the ¤266,666 (about £180,000) first prize.

“It was a thin strand and I went to move it because I thought it was a loose impediment, but when I realised it was attached [to the ground], I literally left it alone,” Fisher said. “They deemed it didn’t improve my stance or my swing.

“I was ecstatic one minute and then, suddenly, it was not looking so good. I read the rule and thought, ‘What have I done?’ I feel very lucky and fortunate to be standing here as the winner.

“The buggy ride to the 12th was the longest of my life and to stand there for 15 to 20 minutes looking at the footage was terrible. I feel very privileged that they said to me, ‘You haven’t done anything wrong; you’re the winner.’ ’’

Fisher, who foundered in the final round when leading the BMW Championship in May, started the day tied for the lead with David Carter, a fellow Englishman, and Steve Alker, of New Zealand, and took the outright lead with a birdie at the 2nd. He had a round of 67 for a 12-under-par total of 268 and became the sixteenth first-time winner on the Tour this season.