GOLF/SCOTTISH OPEN: Eduardo Romero was nothing if not a worthy winner of the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond yesterday. He first of all survived some outrageous luck enjoyed by the only other challenger, Fredrik Jacobson, and then, on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off, totally outplayed him. David Davies reports

Romero has been coming to Europe since 1984 and the £366,660 he won yesterday took his winnings to over £4m. "Now I can buy my country," the Argentinian joked afterwards, although he regularly spends some of it anyway: his end-of-season barbecue for his friends on the tour is one of the hottest tickets in golf.

This was his eighth win, a modest return for such a talented player and it was achieved by holing two putts of the type he often misses. He rattled in a 10-footer at the 72nd hole to get into the play-off and then, after hitting a magnificent drive some 40 yards ahead of Jacobson in the play-off, hit his second to seven feet.

The Swede was forced to contemplate his sixth runners-up spot on the European tour. "Over the last three or four holes I got very nervous," he admitted. "It was all kind of in a fog."

Jacobson had recorded one of the more extraordinary pars at the 16th hole. He hooked his drive into an area described by Sandy Lyle as akin to Jurassic Park. The ball was found amid tractor tracks that amounted, according to the tour's chief referee John Paramor, to "unusual ground conditions".

He got a free drop and promptly hit another hook into deep rough. This time the ball embedded itself and, under the rules for this sodden week, he got relief from that as well. So he chipped to three feet and made a par that made a mockery of equity.

Romero must have written down the four on the card with a sense of bemusement. Afterwards the Argentinian, who actually found Jacobson's ball for him after his second shot, said the par was "incredible, unbelievable, he could have had two lost balls".

It is surprising the difference a 66 can make. After a week in which the black clouds that seem to hover in perpetuity over Loch Lomond also seemed to be concentrated over Colin Montgomerie's head, they cleared away yesterday as if by magic.

"That's the best I have played for many, many years," he said after a round that contained four birdies, an eagle and a bogey.

This was quite something, given that on Saturday he had said: "My distance control has gone. I'm hooking everything, which is OK here because the ball stops in the wet. But it'll be no use at Muirfield; you can't play an Open not knowing where a five-iron is going."

The Scot, who for years did not believe in coaches, rang his teacher on Saturday night for guidance. Denis Pugh proffered the invaluable and ageless advice: "Just go out and play golf." Which is what Monty did yesterday. And the result? He was round in 66 despite missing, by his estimate, nine putts of inside 15 feet.

Others who could also be said to have done themselves a good turn are Paul McGinley and Retief Goosen, the latter despite the fact that he is number one in Europe.

In his past four events the South African has finished 60th, missed cut, missed cut and finished second, with that runners-up spot gifted to him by others. He had a 68 yesterday, as did McGinley, who has played six tour events since April, missing the cut in four.

Darren Clarke finished two shots behind McGinley after a 66 on Saturday and a 71 yesterday, and Michael Hoey a further shot back after a 72 and a 69.

Sandy Lyle had opened up this week with rounds of 67 and 68 to be second. But the weekend produced a 75 and a 72, which brought to mind the words of one of his previous caddies, who left for a more lucrative bag. "Those 38-year-old eyes have seen too much," he said when asked why he was changing employers.

Those eyes are now six years older and have not seen much in the way of golfing good cheer in the interim.

Guardian Service

Irish in bold, British unless stated, par 71

273 - E Romero (Arg) 72 66 65 70 (£366,660), F Jacobson (Swe) 66 65 71 71 (£244,440)

(Romero won at first play-off hole)

274 - T Clark (Rsa) 71 68 67 68, R Chapman 70 70 66 68 (£123,860 each)

275 - Justin Rose 65 71 68 71 (£93,280)

276 - R Gonzalez (Arg) 72 70 69 65, T Lehman (US) 69 69 71 67, JF Remesy (Fra) 70 72 67 67, M Campbell (Nzl) 72 67 66 71, S Leaney (Aus) 72 65 67 72

277 - J Bickerton 67 73 67 70, P Casey 72 69 65 71, W Bennett 67 70 68 72

278 - C Montgomerie 72 71 69 66, M Farry (Fra) 71 69 70 68, R Goosen (Rsa) 72 69 69 68, P McGinley 69 73 68 68, C Pettersson (Swe) 70 66 73 69, B Lane 74 66 69 69, J Spence 70 69 67 72

279 - M Lafeber (Ned) 74 68 69 68, R Bland 68 71 71 69, N O'Hern (Aus) 72 69 69 69, (x) B Hume 67 70 72 70

280 - N Dougherty 72 69 70 69, S Hansen (Den) 72 68 70 70, J Lomas (Swe) 69 70 70 71, I Woosnam 72 67 70 71, R Pampling (Aus) 74 67 68 71, P Hanson (Swe) 76 65 68 71, D Clarke 70 73 66 71

281 - M Hoey 68 72 72 69, B Dredge 72 70 70 69, D Wilson (US) 68 73 70 70, A Forsyth 72 70 69 70, J Maggert (US) 71 72 68 70, G Evans 73 66 71 71, R Sabbatini (Rsa) 69 71 68 73, J Coceres (Arg) 71 70 66 74, D Howell 68 71 67 75

282 - N Fasth (Swe) 70 68 79 65, S Dodd 69 71 74 68, K Eriksson (Swe) 74 68 71 69, F Funk (USA) 71 71 71 69, R Jacquelin (Fra) 73 70 70 69, C Beckman (US) 71 68 72 71, P Price 73 69 69 71, S Kjeldsen (Den) 69 74 68 71, S Lyle 67 68 75 72

283 - G Orr 73 67 72 71, R Johnson (Swe) 71 65 75 72, E Els (Rsa) 68 74 69 72

284 - S Dyson 68 74 75 67, G Brand Jnr 68 74 74 68, M Angel Martin (Spa) 72 70 74 68, S Torrance 68 73 74 69, P O'Malley (Aus) 69 71 74 70, P Lawrie 69 73 72 70, RJ Derksen (Ned) 69 72 72 71, M Gronberg (Swe) 73 69 69 73, H Bjornstad (Nor) 72 71 68 73, B Faxon (USA) 68 72 70 74

285 - T Levet (Fra) 73 70 73 69, A Atwal (Ind) 74 69 72 70, PU Johansson (Swe) 69 73 71 72, J Haeggman (Swe) 71 71 71 72, MA Jimenez (Spa) 74 69 69 73

286 - J Berendt (Arg) 72 68 72 74

287 - D Borrego (Spa) 75 68 74 70, M Gogel (USA) 69 68 76 74

288 - P Golding 72 70 74 72

289 - M Pilkington 71 67 79 72, M Tunnicliff 66 70 76 77

290 - C Rocca (Ita) 71 72 76 71, T Johnstone (Zim) 68 71 76 75