Singh tunes up nicely for Open
Golf:Indian Jeev Milkha Singh won the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open after beating Italian Francesco Molinari in a play-off at Castle Stuart. but it was home hope Marc Warren who suffered the biggest disappointment having blown a three-shot lead over the closing stretch.
Singh, who also qualifies for The Open, overcame the brother of 2010 champion Edoardo with a 12-foot birdie putt at the first hole of their play-off, leaving a stunned Warren joint third with Swede Alex Noren one shot back.
The 31-year-old Glaswegian double-bogeyed the 15th, then bogeyed the next two for a one-under-par 71.
Singh had set an early target of 17 under with a 67 and overnight leader Molinari then forced sudden death by holing a nine-foot par putt on the last for a 72.
Warren, whose collapse also saw him miss out on a place at the Open, said: "I might need a little help to get to sleep tonight."
Asked if devastated was the right word to describe how he felt, the 31-year-old Rangers fan managed a smile and replied: "Not quite yet. I am sure it will.
"It's going to be disappointing watching The Open (an event the World Cup winner has failed to qualify for 10 times). I had it in my hands."
After playing the first 14 holes in a brilliant five under par in the first windy conditions of the tournament it all started to go horribly wrong on the 423-yard 15th.
He faced a 15-foot par putt after finding rough off the tee, but three-putted it for a double bogey six.
His next drive found gorse and after a penalty drop led to a bogey five, then he chipped far too strongly on the short 17th and let yet another shot go.
Suddenly he needed to birdie the par five last to be in the play-off, but into the wind he needed three to find the green and then missed from 25 feet.
Noren was equally gutted minutes earlier as he had taken a bogey six there to finish one behind Singh.
Molinari, who started with a course record 62 and led after the second and third rounds as well, required a closing birdie to win and so emulate his brother Edoardo. But he left himself having to hole from nine feet to keep his title hopes alive. He made that, but he could not match Singh's four when they played the hole again.
Collated final round scores & totals (Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72)
271Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 66 70 68 67 (Jeev won at 1st Play-off hole), Francesco Molinari (Ita) 62 70 67 72
272Marc Warren 68 69 64 71, Alexander Noren (Swe) 66 66 70 70
273Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 65 72 64 72, Matthew Baldwin 67 68 71 67, Thomas Levet (Fra) 68 69 66 70
