Local boy makes good at long last

At Augusta, they say "Don't win the Par 3 competition if you want to win the Masters". On this side of the Atlantic, they warn would-be British Open champions not to win the week beforehand. Colin Montgomerie didn't listen. On Saturday, Europe's undisputed number one charged through a field of usurpers and pretenders to take the Standard Life tournament by three shots.

It may not have been a major, but it sure as hell felt like it to the big Scot. Since turning professional in 1987, Monty had never won on home soil. At the 19th attempt, he righted that sorry statistic - and how.

A final round 64 for a 16-under-par 268 enabled Montgomerie to lift his third, but arguably most precious, title of the season. "I couldn't possibly feel any better about golf than I do at the moment," he said.

Sergio Garcia, who had two bogeys in his final four holes, Mats Lanner and Michael Jonzon all finished three strokes adrift in tied-second place, while third round leader Lee Westwood fell back to a share of fifth with Jesper Parnevik.

Further down the field, there was some solace for Darren Clarke in the run-up to the Open at Carnoustie. The storm clouds that had gathered over his head in the previous days lifted with a final round 66 (only bettered by Montgomerie). The Irishman attributed his improved form to reverting to an old set of irons.

But it was Montgomerie's day, and he had no place for negative vibes. "I can only go into the Open with confidence, and that is exactly what a number of players aren't doing. But I have got to be careful. You can tend to think that the game is easier than it is. You get to Carnoustie and start attacking and you get yourself in a problem," he insisted.

In Loch Lomond, preferred lies and ideal conditions meant that Monty, like so many others in a birdie fest, could attack the flags. It'll be different in Carnoustie where the fairways are narrow and the rough monstrous.

On Saturday, Montgomerie peppered the pin with monotonous regularity. After dropping a shot at the first, he turned on a display of golf that allowed him to scatter the logjam that had formed at the top of the leader-board.

In fact, Montgomerie had a run of nine birdies in 12 holes, and even a bogey at the last, only his second in a remarkable round, couldn't halt him. "It's my first solo win in Scotland, and I just want to savour it," he said.

"I have got to be careful and level-headed over the next four days and calm down and start all over again at Carnoustie," he added. "I have got to be confidence and sensible at the same time."

Montgomerie's winning cheque for £166,657 increased his lead at the top of the Order of Merit, which he is seeking to win for a seventh straight year, and brought his career-winnings in Europe to £6.7 million. If he follows up with a win in Carnoustie, Montgomerie will receive a $1 million bonus from Standard Life. "If I could win, I'd happily pay them the million dollars," he quipped, when reminded of the loot on offer.

A side issue of qualifying for Carnoustie was also decided with the mini-Order of Merit that rewards "recent form", including those tournaments from the Volvo PGA to Loch Lomond. Garcia, who has finished first and second in his last two tournaments and has now moved to seventh in the Ryder Cup table, Miguel Angel Martin, David Park, Angel Cabrera and Paul Eales got the five places.

Meanwhile, Clarke's final round effort was eight shots better than the previous day. The secret? "I reverted to my old set of irons," he explained. Last week, in Royal Portrush, using the new clubs he had custom-made in Atlanta by MacGregor master craftsman Don White, he was 23-under-par in four practice rounds in his preparations for the British Open.

And, not surprisingly, he used those new clubs for his opening three rounds in Scotland. However, after Friday's third round, he had them checked out and discovered "some of the lies and lofts were out". So, he went back to his old clubs, the ones used to win the English Open last month, and the response was immediately positive as he fired a closing 66 for five-under-par 279.

"This is exactly what I wanted with the Open at Carnoustie next week," said Clarke, who covered the back nine in 31 strokes, including a birdie-birdie finish. "Maybe I was expecting too much of myself at the start of the week, but this round will do the confidence good. It will just be great to get back to a links course. "Can I win in Carnoustie? There is no reason why not. I feel I have served my apprenticeship in the majors," he said.

"I've heard all about the tough conditions. Ernie Els played the course the other day and said the winning score could be as high as four over. If that's the case, so be it - as long as I am one shot better than anyone else. You need to play well, but whoever wins is also going to need a bit of luck to go along with it."