Wentworth

In a setting reminiscent of Bannockburn, Colin Montgomerie led the Scottish charge which routed the English challenge to capture the Volvo PGA Championship for the first time yesterday.

Throughout the never-ending drama, four Scots had the chance to win this most prestigious title at Wentworth. At the end of the most significant day for Scottish golf since Sandy Lyle won the US Masters a decade ago, Montgomerie, Gary Orr, and Dean Robertson had enhanced their reputations.

For once, Montgomerie enjoyed a welcome change of fortune on the subtle slopes of the greens and that made the difference. After holing putts to save par on the ninth and seventeenth from nine feet, he came to the last needing a birdie for victory.

An edged drive into the right rough heightened the tension, and it was only possible to lay up short with an iron. Then came a sand iron to eight feet.

En route Montgomerie, who claims never to suffer from nerves, found time to kiss his wife, Eimear, before doing the needful and leaving his great rival Ernie Els, Orr and Swede Patrik Sjolund sharing second place a shot adrift.

Burhill's Orr, who hails originally from Helensburgh, saw his bid stutter with bogeys on 11 and 12. He then showed his mettle by extracting birdies on the last two par-5's, but it was not enough to deny his compatriot his first victory of the year.

Paisley's Dean Robertson led by two strokes on the back nine but then took three putts on the short fourteenth. Clearly affected, he then ran up a double-bogey on the next, where he had to lift under penalty after having driven into the woods.

He, too, closed with a birdie on the last, holing from 20ft to earn a share of fifth place with Andrew Coltart, who fired a 68 for 12-under par and a 276 total alongside the Dane, Thomas Bjorn, and Australian Peter Lonard.

''It was a dramatic day when the lead changed hands a number of times but I felt ahead on the eighteenth tee,'' said Montgomerie, who was delighted to beat his nemesis, Els, in partic- ular. ''I had birdied the last the three previous days.

''I'll take a 4 there to win every time, although I made it difficult by edging a No.3-wood into the right rough. I don't suffer from nerves and it was just a matter of getting the ball in the hole after having hit a hard wedge 105yds to nine feet.

''I did not want a play-off because my record in them isn't very good. I said beforehand that I needed to beat Els, who is the best player in the world, to win and I have. The best thing was seeing him there in the runners-up spot. I know I can do it now when it matters.

''The experience gained in the Ryder Cup certainly helped. But so, too, did playing with a player I rate very highly indeed.

''Dean (Robertson) kept me going to stay in touch. He played great apart from one shot when he went left on the fifteenth off the tee. He will have learned from this day. He will come back again and I wish him well.''

Montgomerie's first win of the year in only his third appearance elevated him to fifth place in the order of merit, and on course to lift the title for a record sixth time. His world ranking and his ambition to depose Els from that position also will benefit. But his priorities lie elsewhere and the US Open next month at the Olympic Club, San Francisco, tops his list.

Montgomerie will derive enormous confidence from yesterday's victory, which he regards as the most important of his career.

Orr emerged from a two-year spell in the doldrums for his biggest-ever cheque by ignoring all that surrounded him.

''I never looked at the leaderboard and did not know that I was in the lead at one stage,'' he admitted. ''I just kept my head down and tried to make as many birdies as I could. I am delighted after playing so poorly for so long.''

Robertson looked back with regret on those three puts on the fourteenth which unhinged his effort.

''That really unsettled me, for until then I was coasting,'' he reflected. ''I felt nervous after that and that was the cause of the double bogey on the following hole.

''It was very hard work out there with such huge crowds.''

Robertson had invited his fellow Cochrane Castle club-mate, Barclay Howard, to be with him at Wentworth, but he was not fit enough to accept following a bone-marrow transplant which is assisting his recovery from leukemia.

Els got so very close to forcing a play-off with Montgomerie, whom he beat in extra-time in the US Open in 1994, but he could not make it with his game not quite at it's majestic best.

Sjolund, already a winner at this year, provided further confirmation that he is once of the best prospects around with a 66, which included seven birdies.

The splendid Scots supporting cast was headed by Gordon Brand Jr, who continued his fine form of late to enter the fringes of the argument by posting a 66 early in the afternoon, the lowest score of the day at that stage.

After prominent displays in the Spanish and Italian Opens and again last week in the Benson and Hedges, his confidence was high, and although he struggled over the first three holes, an eagle at the fourth, where he hit a superb No.6-iron to four feet to lay the foundations of another impressive finish.

''Regaining my form will not change my goals, which will always be to make the Ryder Cup and Dunhill Cups,'' he revealed.

''Only in an earlier life, when I was playing with hickory shafts, did I entertain higher goals.''

Sam Torrance also did his bit to enlarge the tartan trimming round Wentworth. His 68, which left him on eight-under, would have been several strokes better but for another day of frustration on the greens.

q INVERNESS-born Keith Baxter's four-under 66 at Balgownie yesterday made him leading pre-qualifier for the Atlantic Power Northern Open starting over the same venue tomorrow - but cost the Buchanan Castle professional a small fortune in drinks after a hole-in-one at the 170yd 17th.

''It's the fifth ace I've had over the years,'' said the 37-year-old. ''I thought about not going into the clubhouse until everybody had gone home but eventually I went in and said: 'The drinks are on me.' I've never seen a bar become so busy all of a sudden.'' Baxter led the 17 Balgownie qualifiers by one stroke from Douglas Nicoll (Balbirnie Park) and Craig Lee (Glenbervie). At Murcar, the 16 qualifiers were headed by Stuart Callan (Dalmahoy) and Murray Urquhart from Inverness on the two-under-par 69 mark. Scores:

BALGOWNIE (par 70, 17 qualifiers): 66 - K Baxter (Buchanan Castle). 67 - D Nicoll (Balbirnie Park), C Lee (Glenbervie). 68 - C Kelly (Turnberry Hotel). 69 - C Campbell (Loch Lomond), E Gordon (Forres). 70 - G Campbell (am, Airdrie), I Buchan (am, Cruden Bay), C Ferguson (Crieff), G Schofield (Gleneagles Hotel). 71 - G Simpson (Newmachar), G Redford (Turnberry Hotel), S Greig (Crail), K Harrison (Whitecraigs). 72 - I Bratton (Aberdeen Petroleum Club), A Forrow (Whitecraigs), M Huish (North Berwick).

MURCAR (par 71, 16 Qualifiers): 69 - S Callan (Dalmahoy G&CC), M Urquhart (Inverness). 70 - B Main (am , Newmachar), G Paterson (Barassie). 71 - A Buchan (am, Cruden Bay), S Strachan (Bathgate), J Stevenson (Braehead). 72 - A McCloskey (Bothwell Castle), K Phillips (Winterfield), A McLean (Duddingston), S Smith (Gleneagles Hotel), S Orr (Caldwell). 73 - P Brookes (Braehead), R Forrest (Carluke), D Williamson (Kirkhill), S Stevenson (Turnberry Hotel).

Leading scores and aggregates

274 - C Montgomerie 70, 70, 65, 69 (#200,000).

275 - P Sjoland (Swe) 72, 71, 66, 66; E Els (S Africa) 69, 69, 69, 68; G Orr 70, 69, 68, 68 (#89,433 each).

276 - P Lonard (Aus) 72, 65, 71, 68; A Coltart 72, 66, 70, 68; T Bjorn (Den) 70, 69, 69, 68; M Hallberg (Swe) 68, 69, 69, 70; D Robertson 70, 69, 67, 70 (#37,160 each).

277 - P McGinley 72, 69, 68, 68 (#24,000).

278 - G Brand Jr 71, 69, 72, 66; P Price 71, 72, 68, 67; P Harrington 70, 69, 69, 70; D Gilford 70, 69, 68, 71.

279 - C Rocca (Ita) 71, 70, 70, 68.

280 - S Leaney (Aus) 69, 73, 71, 67; J-M Olazabal (Spa) 72, 71, 70, 67; S Torrance 70, 71, 71, 68; L Westwood 71, 71, 69, 69; J Van de Velde (Fra) 71, 71, 69, 69.

281 - P-U Johansson (Swe) 70, 71, 72, 68; R Karlsson (Swe) 71, 71, 71, 68; R Davis (Aus) 73, 69, 69, 70; V Phillips 70, 73, 68, 70; D Howell 68, 71, 71, 71; W Westner (Rsa) 73, 69, 68, 71; M Florioli (Ita) 75, 68, 67, 71; S Ballesteros (Spa) 72, 71, 65, 73.

282 - D Clarke 71, 68, 75, 68; D Hospital (Spa) 69, 69, 74, 70; B Langer (Ger) 69, 70, 72, 71; J Coceres (Arg) 73, 69, 68, 72.

283 - F Tarnaud (Fra) 73, 69, 72, 69; R Wessels (S Africa) 71, 71, 71, 70; M Jonzon (Swe) 66, 70, 72, 75; G Turner (N Zealand) 70, 68, 70, 75.

284 - T Johnstone (Zim) 69, 73, 73, 69; M McNulty (Zim) 69, 72, 72, 71; P Senior (Aus) 72, 70, 69, 73; M Roe 71, 71, 69, 73.

285 - D Edlund (Swe) 71, 71, 74, 69; P Baker 74, 69, 73,69; S Luna (Spa) 71, 71, 73, 70; C Whitelaw (S Africa) 69, 74, 72, 70; T Gogele (Ger) 71, 71, 72, 71; M Mackenzie 68, 71, 74, 72; J Lomas 71, 71, 71, 72; R Claydon 71, 72, 70, 72; K Tomori (Jpn) 70, 70, 72, 73.

286 - A Sherborne 71, 70, 74, 71; B Davis 67, 75, 72, 72; R Muntz (Holland) 72, 71, 71, 72; M James 69, 73, 69, 75.

287 - S Struver (Ger) 73, 69, 75, 70; I Woosnam 73, 70, 74, 70; P Hedblom (Swe) 70, 70, 75, 72; S Lyle 69, 74, 72, 72; E Romero (Arg) 70, 72, 70, 75.

288 - C Van der Velde (Holland) 68, 75, 76, 69; C Watts 71, 69, 71, 77.