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STRAFFAN, Ireland - Briton Colin Montgomerie ended a 19-month wait for his 31st European Tour golf title when he won the European Open on Monday (NZ time) by a stroke from Sweden's Niclas Fasth.
Montgomerie rode his luck on his way to a closing five-under 65 for an 11-under 269 total, holing several big putts and surviving shots close to hazards at the last two holes to edge out Fasth.
Fasth had to wait 80 minutes before he could attempt to make the birdie at the final hole that would have thrown the event into a playoff, following the second suspension for lightning during the afternoon.
A par on the last, reduced from a par-five to a par-three because of week-long bad weather left the Swede disappointed as he closed with a 67 to miss out on his second win in three weeks.
The $800,000 first prize was Montgomerie's first winner's cheque since the Hong Kong Open in December 2005 and came the week after he stumbled over the closing holes to finish third in the French Open.
His 35ft birdie putt from the fringe on the 11th projected Montgomerie, who had bogeyed the final two holes the previous day to slump four shots behind third round leader Soren Hansen, to the top of the leaderboard with Fasth.
A 25ft putt on the 14th and 15-footer off the green at the 15th when he returned following a 45-minute break for bad weather, kept him alongside Fasth, who was playing four groups behind.
Bogeys by the Swede on the 12th and 13th, though, put 44-year-old Montgomerie, who had twice left six-iron tee-shots at the two closing short holes dangerously close to water, in sight of his victory breakthrough.
Fasth held him up by birdieing the 15th to move just a stroke behind but missed birdie putts of nine feet on 17 and 15ft after the second weather break meant he came up short.
New Zealand's Michael Campbell carded a 2-over 72 to finish with an even par total of 280, 11 shots behind Montgomerie.
- REUTERS
