Monty claims maiden Asian title

Colin Montgomerie fought back from two shots down to win his first Asian tour title with a two-shot victory over Thongchai Jaidee in Dongguan, China.

The Scot started the final round two behind Thongchai but claimed the victory by firing a bogey-free five-under-par 67.

His Thai opponent, the current Asian PGA Tour number one, was under pressure from Montgomerie’s well-oiled game from the outset and shot a 71.

The 39-year-old Montgomerie finished the tournament on 16-under-par 272 while Thongchai failed to shoot sub-70 for the first time over the weekend on his way to a final tally of 274.

“It shows to my peers that I’m still there, that I’ve not gone away and I’m still competitive at the highest level,” said Montgomerie, who shared the Volvo Masters with Bernhard Langer last week.

“It’s nice to show that. I was very tired coming over here from Spain. To get to China is not the easiest route and all credit to my caddie and I to last out.”

Montgomerie did not drop a shot over his last 41 holes but he needed to be in strong form to hold off the challenge of Thongchai.

“I was confident but I underestimated Thongchai,” admitted Montgomerie.

“I was very impressed with him. He is one of the best players I’ve played with in Asia, definitely. So I had to be right on my game to compete with him.”

Montgomerie nosed in front for the first time following a 25-foot birdie on the eighth and moved two ahead with another birdie on the 10th.

Thongchai caught the former European number one with birdies on the 14th and 15th but he bogeyed the 16th, handing the initiative back to Montgomerie.

They both birdied the 17th, and Thongchai’s chances of as last-gasp comeback were all but ruined by a poor approach shot on the par-four 18th.

“I really enjoyed playing with Colin. It was a great experience, so I am not too disappointed,” added the 33-year-old.

China’s was third Liang Wen-chong while American Bob May and New Zealand’s Michael Campbell were tied for fourth.