Warren to partner Monty at World Cup

Scotland’s Marc Warren can look forward to partnering Colin Montgomerie at the World Cup again after grabbing his second European Tour title.

And there could be even bigger things to come – Montgomerie thinks the 26-year-old is good enough to make next year’s Ryder Cup as well. Qualifying starts this week.

Warren beat England’s Simon Wakefield with a birdie at the second hole of a play-off in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles yesterday and described winning on home soil as “incredible – a dream come true”.

It was the last event before the World Cup teams were finalised and, having missed the cut in six of his previous eight starts, his place alongside Montgomerie was under threat.

But now they will travel to China in November and try to improve on their showing in Barbados last year – a play-off defeat to Germany’s Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem.

That is Warren’s only loss in five sudden-death shoot-outs as a professional - if Montgomerie had such a record, he would be a major winner by now – and on being mentally strong in such situations he commented: “I seem fortunate. I am made like that and can handle pressure.”

Warren, who also birdied the par-five 18th to force the play-off with Wakefield, sank the winning putt in the 2001 Walker Cup victory in America.

But while teammates Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell and Nick Dougherty quickly made their marks, Warren failed in his first three attempts at the European qualifying school.

The breakthrough came when he won the ’second division’ Challenge Tour two years ago and after stepping into the big league last season he won the Scandinavian Masters – in a play-off with Ryder Cup player Robert Karlsson – and became Rookie of the Year.

He added: “To do it in Scotland is overwhelming almost. Victories don’t sink in quickly and I think this will take a bit of time.

“I think the way I came back from two double-bogeys in the third round was about the best 11 holes of golf I’ve ever played.

“I hit every shape of shot that was required and I managed to do that the last 12 holes today. I had a lot of family and friends out there and they all wore blue tops and white trousers because that’s what I wore in Sweden and that’s what I was wearing today.

“Every time I got a little bit down, they were behind me all the way. That’s my colours now – Tiger’s got his red, so why not?”

Warren actually had harsh words with Bob Torrance, who coaches him as well as Open champion Padraig Harrington, about the state of his game before the tournament, but an opening 65 put the smile back on his face.

“The air was clear before I won today,” Warren said. “I just had some issues on my mind and I am sure he did as well.

“I have to thank him because he’s been saying to me for over a year to stop being so hard on myself and not wanting to be there as soon as I made a mistake.

“He said some very kind things beforehand – he said I was the kind of player he wanted to work with and he was proud of me. That was great coming from a guy like that.

“Bob doesn’t need to prove anything to anybody. Harrington has worked extra hard, but for every minute he’s put in, Bob’s probably put in two. He works harder than anybody I know.”

Wakefield had putts to win from 12 and nine feet at the end of regulation play and then the start of the play-off, but failing to hole either and then missing a 15-footer to stay alive at the second extra hole means he is still winless on the European Tour in 181 starts.

“I’m deflated,” he said. “I felt really comfortable, didn’t have a bogey all day and don’t remember any bad shots.

“It’s all a learning experience and I am getting closer. I have to keep pressing on – I know my game's good enough.”