The drama at Valderrama was prolonged until the last rites of a magnificent season on The European Tour as Ireland’s Paul McGinley captured the Volvo Masters in great style and Colin Montgomerie of Scotland claimed a record-breaking eighth Order of Merit crown.
For a man who had led the tournament for two of the previous three days but came up just short, Montgomerie was still wreathed in smiles after fulfilling his season-long ambition, while McGinley savoured the biggest and most important victory of his career.
Montgomerie had led the tournament at one stage by six strokes and McGinley had been four over par early in his second round – but their fortunes were reversed during a thrilling final day on the Costa del Sol which ended in the Scot landing another money list crown, six years after the last of his seven in a row. New Zealander Michael
Campbell would have needed to finish second as it turned out, but was down in 14th spot.
"I didn't need this, I just wanted it," said Montgomerie on being presented with the Harry Vardon Trophy as European Number One.
McGinley's comeback during the week was as brilliant as Montgomerie's this season, the 38 year old recovering from nine behind the Scot at halfway to win by two from Sergio Garcia of Spain, who was destined to be runner-up for the second successive year.
McGinley followed an opening 74 with rounds of 68-65-67 for a total of 274, equalling the record low total for Valderrama set by – guess who? – Montgomerie, back in 1993 when he captured the first of that eightsome reel.
Garcia’s 73 enabled him to finish two strokes behind with Montgomerie (74) and José Maria Olazábal of Spain sharing third spot on 277, seven under par, along with England’s Luke Donald, whose final round of 64 was the lowest of the week.
It was the fourth European Tour success for the Dubliner in 361 tour starts and his first for four years. During the intervening period, McGinley has come agonisingly close to adding to his total and has been thwarted several times, most recently by Angel Cabrera in the BMW Championship and then by Campbell in the final of the HSBC World Match Play Championship, both at Wentworth Club.
Victory also erased the memory of the climax to the 2001 season, when his close friend and fellow Irish World Cup player, Padraig Harrington, birdied the final hole of the Volvo Masters in Jerez to pip him by a single shot.
After a double bogey and triple bogey in his first seven holes on Thursday he did not drop a shot after the opening hole of the second round – a quite astonishing feat over such a capricious course as Valderrama.
McGinley, renowned as the man who sank the winning putt to beat the United States in The 2002 Ryder Cup, admitted that finishing runner-up in the HSBC final had left him “devasted”, but determined to bounce back quickly.
A combination of his faultless play, though, and mistakes over the opening nine holes by third round leaders Garcia and Montgomerie, ended that four year wait for the Dubliner.
With Montgomerie out in three over 38, including a double bogey at the seventh after trouble in the trees, and Garcia two over for the first nine, McGinley, two under for his front nine, took control and never looked back.
With a two stroke lead on the treacherous 17th, McGinley knew his destiny was in his own hands. Earlier in the week Harrington, who incidentally waited an extra hour to applaud his friend’s moment of glory, had taken a nine there. Other fared much worse.
McGinley used his head and laid up short of the water before punching a full 112 yard sand wedge to within ten feet of the pin and holing the putt for a birdie four. At that moment, he knew the title was in safe keeping.
He said: “I was very close to winning three huge title this year and it didn’t happen for one reason or another. This one means a huge, huge amount to me. I am proud to have won here, competing against the top 60 players on The European Tour.
“Those losses really, really hurt me but I learned from them. I felt I would win a big one because of the quality of my golf. The difference is mental. I had to move up mentally to the level my game is at.”
Montgomerie, meanwhile, insisted that winning the Order of Merit was his top priority and said: “Winning this is very important. I didn’t need this – I wanted it. It was a tall order, but after the third place in the WGC – American Express I believed I could do it.
“There were times in the past when it was half expected of me to win this, which is unfair in many ways so this is very special to me. It was skill and self belief – lots and lots of self belief and commitment in what I was trying to do. I never backed off.”
Campbell accepted second place in the Order of Merit with typical good grace. The US Open Champion could still have overhauled Montgomerie with a closing 66, but had to settle for a 72 and outright 14th position.
“I am disappointed” he reflected. “I hit the ball great but my putting has been awful for some reason. All credit to Monty, he’s played well over the last half of the season but I’ll get him next year!”
At the season's close, the top ten on the Order of Merit saw Montgomerie at Number One followed by Campbell, McGinley, Retief Goosen, Cabrera, Garcia, David Howell, Henrik Stenson, Thomas Björn and José Maria Olazábal.
Of those ten, the leading four European players - Montgomerie, McGinley, Garcia and Howell - are all eligible for the new Royal Trophy match between Europe and Asia in Thailand in January.
Equally enthralling all season was the race for the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award, which is a contest between three players who all played at Valderrama.
Sweden's Peter Gustafsson finished 46th with €491,637, Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 57th with €423,945 and a victory in yhe KLM Open, and England's Richard Finch 60th with €406,245. The outcome will be known shortly.
