ABERDEEN LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH-PLAY REPORT, RESULTS

EDMOND AND GREIG, LAST YEAR'S 

FINALISTS, MEET IN WEDNESDAY'S

SECOND ROUND THIS YEAR

Defending champion Barrie Edmond (Bon Accord) chalked up the biggest margin of victory in the first-round ties of the Aberdeen Links golf championship this evening

Edmond was six under par in winning by 7 and 6 against clubmate Jason Annand, which sets up a Wednesday night repeat of last year's final against clubmate Matty Greig.

Top seed Barry Reid (Caledonian) was four up after only five holes against clubmate Mattie Beattie but he tie went to the 17th green before Reid could claim victory. Beattie fought back to be only two down with five to play but Reid held him at bay over the closing holes.

Results:

FIRST ROUND
(BA, Bon Accord; C, Caledonian; N, Northern)                                             
B Reid (C) bt M Beattie (C) 3 and 1
G Paterson (N) bt G Meade (C) 2 and 1
S Finnie (C) bt  W Ross (C ) 6 and 4
D Oliver (C) bt J Miller (BA)  5 and 3
 

L Minty (N)  bt  D Grieve (BA) 3 and 2
R Evett (N) bt  S Davidson (N) 4 and 2
S Allan (C) bt M Dunn 3 and 2
C Ross (N) bt R Allerton (BA) 5 and 3
 

C Somers (BA) bt G J Mitchell 4 and 3
S Smith (C) bt S Milton 6 and 4
M Greig (BA) bt S Forsyth (N) 6 and 5
B Edmond (BA) bt J Annand (BA) 7 and 6
 

G Mitchell (BA) bt  G Nicholson (N) 6 and 4
D Leslie (N) bt S Manson (N) 3 and 2
G Somers (BA) bt S Duff (N) 5 and 4
A Doig (C) bt G Robertson (N) 2 and 1

CHRIS DOAK ONLY SCOT TO WIN A PLACE

SHANE LOWRY LEADS QUALIFIERS FOR 

US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP AT PINEHURST
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS NEWS RELEASE

Shane Lowry, pictured above in his moment of delight, took his fine form from Wentworth to Walton Heath today to bag a place in the US Open Championship at Pinehurst next month.

The Irishman was runner-up in the BMW PGA Championship, and gave himself another reason to celebrate by finishing top of the pile at International Qualifying. His eight under par total – 69 on the New Course in the morning and 67 on the Old in the afternoon – was all the more impressive, given the heavy rain all day at the Surrey venue.

“It was really tough out there,” said Lowry. “I played okay and putted really, really well. I holed a lot of six to eight footers for par and carried a lot of momentum in from yesterday to get the job done. I was three under this morning and this afternoon chipped in for eagle to get to five, so that got me going.

“I just tried to play steady from there and not lose my head. It was tough last week and then 36 holes in this weather was very tiring. I’m looking forward to my bed tonight.

“I can’t wait to get to Pinehurst. Majors are where I want to be playing. Last week I was comfortable competing down the stretch with the likes of Thomas Björn, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald, so I’ve got a lot of confidence and I’ll take that with me to Pinehurst.”

A total of 105 players turned out in hope of winning one of the 14 spots on offer, plus two alternates. 

In addition to Lowry, those to automatically win a spot were Swede Niclas Fasth, Englishmen Simon Griffiths and Graeme Storm, Germans Marcel Siem and Max Kieffer, Scot Chris Doak, South African Garth Mulroy and American Brooks Koepka.

Six players had to play off for the final four spots. England’s Oliver Fisher, Italian Andrea Pavan and Dane Lucas Bjerregaard all made birdie at the first extra hole to claim the first three places, and the last to make the grade was Tom Lewis, courtesy of a 30 foot birdie putt, leaving Morten Madsen and Danny Willett as alternates.

US Open Championship International 
Sectional Qualifier
FINAL TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
QUALIFIERS
1 Shane LOWRY IRL 69 67 136
2 Simon GRIFFITHS ENG 67 70 137
Niclas FASTH SWE 67 70 137
Garth MULROY RSA 69 68 137
5 Chris DOAK SCO 68 71 139
Shiv KAPUR IND 68 71 139 
Maximilian KIEFFER GER 68 71 139 
Brooks KOEPKA USA 72 67 139
Graeme STORM ENG 68 71 139
Marcel SIEM GER 73 66 139 
 AFTER PLAY-OFF
Tom LEWIS ENG 71 69 140

Lucas BJERREGAARD DEN 69 71 140

Andrea PAVAN ITA 71 69 140

Oliver FISHER ENG 67 73 140 

ALTERNATES

Morten Ørum MADSEN DEN 70 70 140
Danny WILLETT ENG 70 70 140 

OTHER SCORES
Tyrrell HATTON ENG 70 71 141
Matteo MANASSERO ITA 72 69 141
Stuart MANLEY WA 66 75 141 
Garrick PORTEOUS ENG 70 71 141 
Matthew BALDWIN ENG 70 71 141
Darren FICHARDT RSA 70 71 141
Ross McGOWAN ENG 70 71 141 
Wade ORMSBY AUS 71 70 141
Sihwan KIM KOR 73 69 142
John HAHN USA 74 68 142
Johan EDFORS SWE 73 69 142
George COETZEE RSA 72 70 142 
Roope KAKKO FIN 71 71 142 
Richard FINCH ENG 71 72 143 
Alexander LEVY FRA 74 69 143
Edoardo MOLINARI ITA 72 71 143
Robert KARLSSON SWE 74 69 143
Chris WOOD ENG 75 68 143 
Marc WARREN SCO 73 70 143
Robert ROCK ENG 74 69 143 
Carlos DEL MORAL ESP 74 70 144
Ricardo SANTOS POR 70 74 144 
Victor RIU FRA 72 72 144 
Richard GREEN AUS 71 74 145
Romain WATTEL FRA 70 75 145 
Alejandro CAÑIZARES ESP 69 76 145
Grégory BOURDY FRA 72 73 145
John PARRY ENG 73 72 145
Mikko ILONEN FIN 72 73 145
Brett RUMFORD AUS 72 73 145
Scott JAMIESON SCO 69 76 145
Justin WALTERS RSA 71 74 145
Tjaart VAN DER WALT RSA 71 74 145
Masahiro KAWAMURA JPN 69 76 145 
Kevin PHELAN IRL 74 72 146
Jamie MCLEARY SCO 71 75 146
Padraig HARRINGTON IRL 75 71 146
Grégory HAVRET FRA 70 76 146 
José María OLAZÁBAL ESP 72 74 146
Richard BLAND ENG 72 75 147
José-Filipe LIMA POR 71 76 147
Jeremy KAVANAGH ENG 77 70 147
Alvaro VELASCO ESP 70 77 147
Daan HUIZING NED 73 74 147
61 Johan CARLSSON SWE 71 77 148
Julien QUESNE FRA 71 77 148
Gary BOYD ENG 76 72 148
Ross FISHER ENG 75 73 148 
Steve LEWTON ENG 74 75 149
Simon WAKEFIELD ENG 74 75 149
Jack WILSON AUS 76 73 149 
Duncan STEWART SCO 76 74 150
Siddikur RAHMAN BAN 74 76 150
Nick DOUGHERTY ENG 74 76 150
Jason KNUTZON USA 73 77 150
Simon KHAN ENG 72 78 150
Kieran STAUNTON Eng 71 79 150 
Søren KJELDSEN DEN 73 78 151
Brinson PAOLINI USA 74 77 151 
David HOWELL ENG 72 80 152
Kristoffer BROBERG SWE 75 77 152 
Phillip ARCHER ENG 74 79 153 
Jordan L SMITH (AM) Eng 82 72 154
Peter HEDBLOM SWE 77 77 154 
Mathias GRÖNBERG SWE 80 75 155 
RETIRED
Marco CRESPI ITA 75
Andy SULLIVAN ENG 74
Pablo MARTIN BENAVIDES ESP 73
Steven TILEY ENG 75
David HORSEY ENG 74 
Nacho ELVIRA ESP 77 
Emiliano GRILLO ARG 73 
Thomas LEVET FRA 77 
Jin JEONG SKOR 75
Jeev Milkha SINGH IND 75
Alvaro QUIROS ESP 74 
Raphaël JACQUELIN FRA 74 
Dawie VAN DER WALT RSA 76 
Jorge CAMPILLO ESP 71 
Eddie PEPPERELL ENG 74
Rikard KARLBERG SWE 74
Sam WALKER ENG 76
Robert DINWIDDIE ENG 75
Daniel IM USA 73
Andreas HARTØ DEN 75
Byeong-hun AN SKOR 73
Daniel BROOKS ENG 71
Rafa CABRERA-BELLO ESP 74
Eduardo DE LA RIVA ESP NR

 EPD TOUR BLUNDER MEANS FIRST

ROUND PLAY IS CANCELLED

This week's German PGA developmental EPD Tour event in Austria, the Adamstal Open, at Adamstal Golf Club, has had to be reduced from
three to two rounds after a blunder by the greenkeeping staff during play in the first round.
A statement from the organisers said:

 "After mistakenly the golf course had been changed during play on Monday the first round of the Adamstal Open has had to be cancelled. The tournament will be completely re-started on Tuesday at 7 a.m and. the tournament is reduced to 36 holes."

There are three Scots in the field - Conor O'Neil (Pollok), Philip McLean (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) and Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm).

+Something similar happened in a Scottish women's amateur championship many years ago.
On that occasion the greenkeeping staff cut new holes when about a third of the field had still to play, which meant all the players would not be playing to the same hole positions. 
ends

MAITLAND SHIELD FINAL IS NEXT  MONDAY NIGHT

The City of Aberdeen men's double foursomes for the Maitland Shield final is not being played tonight.
The Murcar Links v Nigg Bay tie, held over from last week, will be played at Stonehaven Golf Club on Monday, June 2 at 5pm and 5.07

INVERNESS-BORN US PGA TOUR PLAYER HAS MADE A MILLION DOLLARS THIS SEASON

KNOX EARNS $58,453 FOR 
 
JT 21st PLACE ON SUNDAY

Balgownie-bound for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, Russell Knox earned $58,453 for a joint 21st place finish in the Crowne Plaza Invitational tournament which finished at the Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday.
The Inverness-born player, who has never played professional golf in the land of his birth - he turned pro in America after completing four successful years at Jacksonville University, had rounds of 71, 70, 66 and 69 for a total of four-under par 276 over the par-71 course.
He finished five shots behind the play-off participants, Adam Scott (Australia) and Jason Duffner (United States).
Knox has now earned a total of $1,247,924 in US PGA Tour events this season and has gone up one place from 48th to 47th in the current money table.
Martin Laird, the only other Scot on the US PGA Tour, finished joint 30th on 277 (70-69-69-69) on Sunday and earned $37,200. He is 155th on the money table with a total of $336,968.
A third Scot playing golf for a living on the No 2 men's tour in the States, Dornoch exile Jimmy Gunn has not set the heather on fire in the Web.com Tour.
He missed the cut in the weekend's Rex Hospital Open at TPC Wakefield Plantation, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Gunn shot 73-76 for 149, eight shots too many to make the cut.
Gunn is 88th on the Web.com Tour money table this year with earnings of $20,904, which roughly equates to £10,000. That does not go far when you are travelling the length and breadth of America and down to South America earlier on the schedule.
The standard of play on the Web.com Tour is as high as that on the US PGA Tour - but the big difference is that the cheques are smaller.
For instance, the winner of the Rex Hospital Open, Byron Smith, with a 16-under-par total of 268 (70-69-63-66), won "only" $112,500.
Compare that with the million dollars + payslip received by Adam Scott for winning the US PGA Tour event in Texas on Sunday.

FIRST CAITHNESS-BRED PLAYER TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP

                                           DOUGIE THORBURN .. North District champion
                                                        Picture by Robin Wilson

NORTH DISTRICT TITLE AT LOSSIE

FOR THURSO'S DOUGIE THORBURN

By ROBIN WILSON  

It can be safely said that Dougie Thorburn from Thurso has become the first Caithness-produced golfer to win the the North District Association Cup after beating the rugged elements and quality championship field at Lossiemouth on Sunday.

In 1935 the name of W Semple (Wick) is engraved on the cup but Semple was not a loca. He was  drawn to the town to work in the herring industry when Wick was an important fishing port. 

Semple had learned his golf before taking up membership of Wick Golf Club, founded in 1870, and the oldest club in the North, where he became a prestigious local winner .

Just turning 37 last week, Thorburn began his golf at Thurso, rising to become his home county's lowest handicap golfer. 
After winning two Caithness county titles he sought to make his mark south of the Ord of Caithness and made Tain his home club to give Tain their first North champion.  

A selection for the North team followed but he  was overlooked for the recent Scottish area team championship. Thorburn's well deserved success at Moray Golf Club on Sunday should bring him back into the selectors' favour, especially as he was partnering three time champion Bryan Fotheringham and left him trailing by 10 shots.

His northern upbringing has acclimatised Thorburn to wet and windy conditions, which, on Sunday, by his estimation added two and sometimes three clubs to approach shots.
But he played steadily through all his 36 holes and maintained a sharp short game. 

Two over par for each of his first two halves (37-38), he recorded a first-round 75 which matched the +4 CSS of 75. He  broke the afternoon CSS of 75 by four with a one birdie and one bogey outward nine holes of 35, then reeled off nine inward half par figures for 36 home and a par-matching 71 to win by a shot from Fortrose and Rosemarkie's Alan Cameron.

From from beginning of the season Cameron has been the in-form North player, winning open events at four different courses.
At Lossie, he opened with a 72 and was in a good position to lift his first championship before disaster struck on the eighth and ninth holes of his second round.

He lost a ball at each. A stroke was recovered with birdie on the 10^th but given back when he three-putted the 11^th green for the second time before parring in for the bronze medal with 75  for 147.

Another of Inverness's growing band of junior talent won the Murray Watt Youths' Trophy and silver medal. Three-handicapper Jonathon Keith (18), pictured right, with cards of 77 and 75 for 152, beat off the triple challenge of Jordan Milne (Elgin), Ross Proctor (Forres) and Jordan Shaw (Boat of Garten) who all finished one stroke back.   

Milne pulled himself into the triple second place tie with the only sub-par card of the day, a one-under 70 in round two, while another Inverness youth, Euan Gill, had the leading net return of 149 off four of a handicap.     

PRIZEWINNERS

Scratch

Par 142 (2x71) CSS 75 75 

146 Douglas Thorburn (Tain) 75 71 (Cup, Silver Medal, £200 voucher).

147 Allan Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 72 75 (Bronze Medal, £130 voucher).

149 Jeff Wright (Forres) 72 77 (£100 voucher)

150 William Barron (Nairn Dunbar) 74 76 (£70 voucher)

151 Lewis Reid (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 76 75 (£50 voucher), Ewan Forbes (Inverness) 75 76 (£40 voucher), John Forbes (Inverness) 73 78 (£30 voucher).

152 Fraser Fotheringham (Nairn) 77 75 (£20 voucher).

BEST OF OTHER SCORES:

153 Malcolm MacLeman (Moray) 76 77, Stuart Tatters (Moray) 80 73

154 Bryan Fotheringham (Inverness) 74 80, Andrew Burgess (The Nairn) 76 78
155 Sean Burgess (The Nairn) 75 80

156 Darren Leith (Garmouth and Kingston) 80 76, David Joel (Inverness) 76 80, Mike MacDonald (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 76 80, Brent MacLeman (Moray) 79 77
157 Chris Stuart (Moray) 75 82
158 Robert Sheils (Moray) 78 80
159 Marc Dingwall (Moray) 76 83
160 Scott Green (Meldrum House) 79 81
161 Lyle McAlpine (Royal Dornoch) 77 84, Ian Geddes (Moray) 80 81
162 Steven Rendall (Orkney) 80 82, Steven Leith (Moray) 84 78

UNDER-21 YOUTHS

Scratch

152 Jonathon Keith (Inverness) 77 75 (Murray Watt Trophy, Silver medal, £75 voucher).

153 Jordan Milne (Elgin) 83 70 (Bronze medal, £50 voucher), Ross Proctor (Forres) 78 75 (£30 voucher), Jordan Shaw (Boat of Garten) 72 81 (£20 voucher)

Handicap

149  Euan Gill (Inverness) (3) 73 76 (£50 voucher)

150 Brent MacLeman (Moray) (3) 76 74 (£40 voucher).

151 Isaac Alexander (Moray) (3) 74 77 (£30 voucher).

US PGA TOUR REPORT AND FINAL TOTALS

• WORLD No 1 ADAM SCOTT 

  CELEBRATES  BY WINNING 

   CROWNE PLAZA INVITATIONAL

             FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
  
  • By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM
• Adam Scott now has victories in all four PGA TOUR events in the state of Texas. (Marianna Massey/Getty Images)

FORT WORTH, Texas -- After Adam Scott won the Valero Texas Open four years ago, someone mentioned to him that no player had won all four Texas US PGA Tour events.
Fourteen players have won three. Ben Hogan was one of them. Now Scott was too.
On Sunday, Scott surpassed them all -- fittingly, at Hogan's home course.
The 33-year-old Australian celebrated -- or was that justified? -- his status as the world's top-ranked golfer by beating Jason Dufner with a birdie on the third play-off hole to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
That completes the career Texas Slam. Scott has won in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Worth. That's four of his 11 career wins in the Lone Star State. It's both a nifty parlour trick and a pretty impressive feat.
"I'll take any kind of record I can get," Scott said with a laugh.
But there's no laughing about his performance at Colonial this week. He entered having just ascended to world No. 1 ahead of Tiger Woods. He thought it was important to play in his first week as the top dog. He also was hoping to bounce back from a disappointing result at THE PLAYERS Championship two weeks earlier, when he opened with a 77 and tied for 38th.
Through his first nine holes Thursday, it didn't look good. He was 4 over and an early exit was looming. But he fought back on his final nine that day and never looked back.
In his last 66 holes (including the playoff) at Colonial, he had 19 birdies, two bogeys and one double. That's 15 under on a course that wasn't about to give up a double-digit score this week. Scott and Dufner advanced to the play-off by finishing at 9 under after each shot 66 on Sunday.
Scott said he learned something this week about clawing back into a tournament after a poor start. He also showed he can handle the pressure of being No 1, of making big putts, of responding at the big moments.
He bounced back from his double-bogey at the ninth hole Sunday with a flawless back nine. His birdie putt from 14 feet on the second play-off hole to stay in the alive was huge. His approach to 7 feet to set up his winning birdie on the next hole was even bigger.
"It's so satisfying in so many ways to get it done," Scott said.
So now he has the Texas Slam. But that's not the only Slam in golf, and -- with apologies to all Texans -- nor the most famous one.
Last year's Masters win has him one-fourth of the way to a career Grand Slam. He can take the second step in three weeks at the U.S. Open in Pinehurst.
"The Texas Slam, that's a good slam to start with," Scott said. "I'll see if I can find some kind of other slam eventually in my career."

---

RUNNER-UP AGAIN: Jason Dufner is a Ben Hogan disciple, and has now twice been within sniffing distance of winning at Colonial, a feat that Hogan achieved five times.
Two years ago, Dufner fell a stroke short of Zach Johnson after 72 holes. He went further on Sunday but it still didn't pay off like he wanted.
"Little disappointing," Dufner said. "I want to win here."
It looked like he would after his approach into the par-4 17th, the second playoff hole, landed 4-1/2 feet from the pin. But Scott drained his long birdie putt, so Dufner had to settle for making the putt just to keep the playoff going.
"I thought maybe I could sneak one in there on 17, but he topped me," Dufner said.
Said Scott: "Pretty much do-or-die for me."
Then at the third play-off hole, Dufner's approach was not to his liking, and Scott knocked it stiff for the win.
A tough loss, but Dufner is encouraged about the rest of this season. He's also encouraged about his future chances at Colonial.
"I'll keep coming back, trying to win," he said.

---

WEIRD SWINGS: David Toms made the turn Sunday with the lead. He had strung together three consecutive birdies. He seemed to be in good shape to win his second Crowne Plaza title in four years, while becoming the second oldest winner of this event.
But he wasn't feeling right.
"I just didn't have it today," he said. "I was a little bit off the tee and never did get a real good yardage with my iron shots. I was kind of just making weird swings trying to get the right distance."
Eventually, it caught up to him. Three bogeys in a five-hole stretch knocked out of the lead and out of contention, as he finished with an even-par 70 to finish at 7 under, two shots out of the play-off.
Russell Knox who shot 66-69 at the weekend, finished T21 on 276, a shot ahead of fellow Scot Martin Laird who closed with a pair of 69s for 279 and a share of 30th place.
 

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70) Players from USA unless stated
271 Adam Scott (Australia) 71 68 66 66, Jason Duffner 67 69 69 66 (Scott won sudden-death play-off at third extra hole).
272 Nicholas Thompson 69 68 69 66, Freddie Jacobson (Sweden) 67 71 69 67
273 David Lingmerth (Sweden) 72 69 66 66, Ryan Palmer 69 69 68 67, Brendon Todd 69 69 67 68, John Senden (Australia) 71 68 66 68, David Toms 72 66 65 70.
SELECTED TOTALS
275 Brian Davis (England) 68 67 70 70 (T14)
276 Russell Knox (Scotland) 71 70 66 69 (T21)
277 Martin Laird (Scotland) 70 68 68 69 (T30)

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE

SCOT WINS BY FOUR SHOTS WITH FINAL ROUND OF 65

• • MONTY A MAJOR MAN AT LAST! Coasts to victory at US Senior PGA
  • Colin Montgomerie pulled away from the pack for his first-ever official triumph on U.S. soil. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
  
  FROM THE US CHAMPIONS TOUR WEBSITE
  BENTON HARBOR, Michigan (AP) -- Colin Montgomerie learned something about playing major championship golf at the age of 51 in the United States Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores.
  "I learned today to concentrate on me, and possibly I haven't in the past," the Scot said Sunday after shooting a 6-under 65 for a four-stroke victory from runner-up 64-year-old Tom Watson. 
  "We're always learning and today I concentrated on my own play and could only worry about myself."
  The victory was Monty's first as a senior in the States, and his first in an official event in the United States. 
  He also claimed a senior major in his fifth attempt, something he didn't accomplish in 71 majors in his regular tour days although he got as close as a play-off at Oakmont in 1994 after tieing with Ernie Els and Loren Roberts. Els won the play-off. And in 1994, Monty lost a US PGA title play-off to Steve Elkington at Riviera, California.
  
  Montgomerie, whose greatest moments in golf have been in Ryder Cup competition and the seven years in a row (1993-1997) when he was No 1 on the European Tour (he also rose to No 1 again in 2006, finished at 13-under 261 with rounds of 69, 69, 68 and 65 over the par-71 couse which measured 6,852yd
  He won on the European Senior Tour last year. Prior to that he had not won sincethe 2007 European Open, his 31st European Tour title.
  Watson also closed with a 65, and Jay Haas and Bernhard Langer tied for third at 7 under. Haas had a 67, and Langer shot 70.
  Montgomerie offered some comic relief on the final hole when he pulled his final approach some 20 yards only to get a bounce off the grandstand. The ball rolled to the middle of the green to set up a tap-in par.
  "I feel fantastic, really, superb," he said. "There's a motto: `If you fail and fail, you come back and try again.' 
  "I've had a couple of failures here in America and close calls, especially in major championships, and it's great to finally win, never mind a Champions Tour event, but a Senior PGA Championship event."
  Watson, who later this year will captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team, put a charge in the tournament when he made birdies on the second and fifth holes and started the back nine with consecutive birdies to pull within one shot of the lead. He missed a 4-foot birdie putt at the short par-5 15th hole that would have put him within one shot again.
  "Yeah that was the roadblock right there," Watson said. "I needed to make four there to keep the pressure on."
  Montgomerie made a charge of his own. Having birdied the opening hole and bogeyed the short fourth, he needed some more sub-par figures.
  And the big Scot got them! He birdied Nos. 8, 9 and 10 and, with precise iron shots and clutch putting, also made birdies at 12, 14 and 15 to pull away. 
  Out in 34 and home in four-under 31, Monty said the birdies in the middle of the round were the key.
  "I was caught," he said. "It was between seven or eight players that could actually win there. Those birdies were the key."
  Montgomerie will head home to Perthshire, Scoland  for a few weeks with a first-place cheque for $378,000 and his name will go on the Alfred S. Bourne Trophy. 
  The win also netted him a lifetime exemption to the Senior PGA Championship, and 2014 exemptions for the PGA Championship, Senior British Open and U.S. Senior Open.
  Watson, who made a bid to be the oldest player to win a senior event of any kind, had five consecutive pars to end his round while missing several birdie chances. He hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation.
  "It was one of the best rounds from tee to green that I played in years," Watson said. "It was really, really good, but the putter felt like a snake in my hands. I missed a lot of short putts today. It could have been a much better scoring round of golf."
  Bernhard Langer, playing with Montgomerie for a fourth consecutive round, hit his tee shot at No. 11 in the hazard right of the green and ended up making double bogey on the 140-yard par 3. It put him four shots behind Montgomerie at the time.
  Montgomerie is the third Scot to win senior golf's oldest championship, and the first since Jock Hutchison won his second Senior PGA in 1940.
  Glasgow-born son of a former Royal Troon Golf Club secretary, Colin will have his 51st birthday on June 23. As an amateur he played in the Walker Cup matches of 1985 and 1987. He turned pro soon after winning the Scottish amateur championship at Nairn in 1987.

                         Monty on his way to victory
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71) Yardage 6,852 Players from USA unless stated
271 Colin Montgomerie (Scotland) 69 69 68 65
275 Tom Watson 70 68 72 65
277 Jay Haas 69 71 70 67, Bernhard Langer (Germany) 70 68 69 70
278 Joe Durant 65 75 74 64, Marj Brooks 68 71 74 65, David Frost (S Africa) 72 69 69 68, Bart Bryant 71 67 70 70

SELECTED TOTALS
282 Peter Senior (Australia) 70 73 71 68 (T15)
284 Carl Mason (England) 73 71 70 70 (T24)
287 Nick Job (England) 69 76 68 74 (T33)
289 Andrew Oldcorn (Scotland) 74 72 73 70 (T48)
290 Roger Chapman (England) 71 72 74 73(T55).

MISSED THE CUT (146 and better qualified)
147 Barry Lane (England) 72 75
149 Paul Wesselingh (England) 78 71
150 Ian Woosnam (Wales) 76 74
151 Gordon Brand jun (Scotland) 70 81
153 Paul Eales (England) 76 77, Bob Cameron (England) 78 75
154 Sandy Lyle (Scotland) 78 76, Gary Emerson (England) 74 80
155 Simon Brown (England) 76 79


TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE