Edfors burns as Clarke fizzles

Scottish Open: Johan Edfors yesterday won the Scottish Open here with a stunning eight-under-par final round of 63. The victory earned him a cheque for £400,000 and a fighting chance of taking a place in Europe's Ryder Cup side against the US this summer.

"It would be a tremendous honour," he said shyly when asked about the prospect of playing at the K Club in September. "Something I've been dreaming of since I was a little kid."

Should he make the team, the 30-year-old Swede might be advised to take along some proof of identity and a short biography to hand out to his team-mates if he gets there.

"I'd never heard of him before this year," conceded Colin Montgomerie, who secured his place in Ireland long ago. "I've never played with him. All I know is that he looks a lot like Roger Federer and if he can play golf half as good as Federer plays tennis then he's doing all right."

Edfors is indeed doing all right. Yesterday's win was his third on the European tour this season. His two previous victories, in the TCL Classic in China and the British Masters at the Belfry, were worthy achievements for a player who lost his Tour card two years ago and is still in the process of rebuilding his swing. But yesterday's triumph, by two clear strokes with a 13-under total of 271, was of a different order altogether.

In 24th place overnight, the Swede teed off six shots behind and two hours ahead of the final pairing of Thomas Bjorn and Darren Clarke, who were expected to battle it out for the title. But neither was able to reproduce the form of previous days and meekly slipped back to finish with a share of fifth place with two others on 10 under par.

It was a weary finish too for Clarke's fellow Irishman Damien McGrane who dropped from tied sixth overnight to tied 24 after finishing with a two over par 73.

Paul McGinley's final round 74 left him one under par for the tournament, while David Higgins' disastrous closing 80 left him propping up the field on 11 over par.

Edfors, meanwhile, played the opening nine holes of his final round in 30 shots, six under par. His back nine was not as outrageously good but it came close. Three birdies from the 12th took him to nine under for the round and put him in with a chance of breaking 60, but a bogey on the penultimate hole ended that particular dream. It did not, however, cost him victory.

Edfors now rises to 10th in the European Ryder Cup standings and is vying for a place with the likes of Luke Donald, whose closing round of 66 yesterday was good enough to finish tied for second place.

Montgomerie's closing round of 71 was good enough only for a place in the top 30 - disappointing for his Scottish fans but not, apparently, for the man himself.

"Not winning here might be a blessing in disguise," he insisted, improbably. "Winning can be exhausting, you know." Not in the world of Johan Edfors, it isn't.