Large and enthusiastic galleries were enraptured as several players, including local hero Søren Hansen, held potential winning chances before Montgomerie came up just short of Poulter’s total of 266, 22 under par, after missing a 15 foot birdie putt on the final green.
There was an irony in the winning total, as Montgomerie had predicted on Thursday that 22 under would prevail. It did – but to the Scot’s chagrin it was his English rival who reached the ‘magic mark’ and headed for the US PGA Championship with his fifth European Tour victory under his belt.
Poulter fired a final round of 66, six under par, but missed opportunities at the par five 17th and 18th to extend his advantage and leave his pursuers chasing in vain. Montgomerie birdied the 17th from six feet but could not squeeze out one more birdie at the last to force a play-off.
A round of 68 saw him finish alone in second place on 267 with a trio of players sharing third on 268 – Stephen Gallacher of Scotland, who signed for a best of the day 63, Hansen (69) and Frenchman Gregory Havret, the halfway leader who closed with a 68.
Poulter won €266,660 (£187,002) to move into fifth place on the Volvo Order of Merit with earnings of €1,010,012 (£708,298), while his second victory over the season took his accumulative career winnings through the €3,000,000 barrier.
The man from Leighton Buzzard in Hertfordshire was winning from behind for the first time, his other successes coming as a front runner. It was also the 16th win on The 2003 European Tour International Schedule by a former European Challenge Tour Member.
Poulter said: "It really was a perfect day. I thought 22 or 23 under par was going to be a good total and I thought 66 could be the number for me. Thankfully Colin missed the putt on the last and the flight to the United States will be very pleasant now."
Renowned for his outrageous hairstyles – he currently sports blond and black stripes – Poulter added with a grin: "It was nice to let my golf do the talking and stop people from talking about my hair."
Courtsey of www.europeantour.com