With a wave to the crowd from the 17th fairway, Lee Janzen began his victory march in the 98th US Open here at the Olympic Club yesterday. Set for a par on a hole which cost him five strokes in the previous three rounds, the 33-year-old sensed he had done enough to crush the failing challenge of Payne Stewart.

There were rich resonances of 1993, when this pair had battled for the title at Baltusrol. On that occasion, the breakthrough for Janzen came at the 16th where he chipped in for a most improbable birdie on the way to a record-equalling score.

Overcome with emotion, Janzen said through tears afterwards: "When I was seven strokes behind Payne on the fourth hole, I didn't think I could win, but I had to keep going. Then I thought f I could get within a few shots of the lead going down the stretch, I might do it. Somehow I did." He added: "Not a day has gone by since Baltusrol that I haven't thought of winning this title again."

This latest reversal went particularly hard on Stewart, who failed to emulate Tony Jacklin's achievement of Hazeltine in 1970, by leading from start to finish. The 1991 champion was also attempting to regain the title on a course where his late father, Bill, had competed as an amateur in the 1955 staging.

But Stewart's nerve failed him in a final round of 74 on treacherous terrain, while Janzen completed magnificently, firing a closing 68 for a level-par total of 280 and prize money of $535,000. And as Tom Watson had predicted to highly sceptical ears, the Lake Course duly resisted all efforts to breach its aggregate of par.

Janzen was indoors, watching on television as Stewart completed his round, needing a birdie at the 18th to tie. His 20-footer had the pace, but he didn't borrow enough to account for the severe right to left break. It was all over and the Olympic jinx which determines that the obvious player shouldn't win here, had struck again.

"I didn't play well enough to win," said a gracious Stewart afterwards. "Sure I'm disappointed but I can hold my head up. I was beaten by a great champion."

Lee Westwood, winner of the last two tournaments in Europe, further enhanced his international profile with a final round of 71 to claim a share of seventh place on 287 and prize money of $83,590. "You need to do at least one round under par to win a US Open and I just didn't make enough birdies," he said afterwards.

But there was still an English dimension to the occasion in that Nottingham's Dave Musgrove, who had been with Janzen in 1993, was back caddying for him again, after nursing his wife through a recent serious illness.

It became an extremely trying day, however, for another British player - and through no fault of his own. Colin Montgomerie was subjected to some appalling barracking from louts who decided to hold him directly responsible for America's defeat in the Ryder Cup last September.

USGA executive director David Fay condemned the behaviour as "regrettable" and talked of a possible clampdown on the sale of alcohol. But it was equally clear that anti-Montgomerie feeling was whipped up by local newspaper headlines such as "Monty Fills Niche Nicely as Golf's Basket Case" in Friday's issue of the San Francisco Chronicle. And a photograph carried the caption "He's mean."

In the event the situation looked like getting out of hand when, ironically, he was paired in the fourth with last year's US Ryder Cup captain, Tom Kite. There was a shout of "get in the bunker", when he drove at the sixth and an exclamation of "bye bye" accompanied by hearty applause as his first putt raced down the slope of the seventh green.

By that stage, a troublemaker had been led away by two policeman. Then, from another source, came the remark "how disappointing", when Montgomerie's tee-shot landed safely on the green at the short eighth. "Look at him," he added. "He thinks he's the president of Scotland."

Despite frequent criticism of his fragile temperament, it must he said that Montgomerie's behaviour was exemplary through all of this. Indeed the same was true of Friday when a group of spectators jumped up and down with glee when his approach missed the 13th green.

But yesterday matters came to a head as the player was making the short journey from the eighth green to the ninth tee, between restraining, crowd-control ropes. "Go home Monty," a spectator called out, this time well within the player's earshot.

"Who said that?" enquired the Scot. There was no response. The question was repeated, whereupon a burly individual with a large cigar in his mouth, stepped forward. "Why did you say that?" "Because of the Ryder Cup," came the reply.

"The only thing wrong with the Ryder Cup was that we won," countered Montgomerie. Then, pointing to Kite, the Scot added: "There's the Ryder Cup captain." To his credit, Kite immediately responded: "There was nothing wrong with the Ryder Cup."

All of this was witnessed by several San Francisco policemen who took no action. Indeed it was left to some fair-minded spectators to redress the balance somewhat by applauding Montgomerie's drive at the ninth. And by way of rebuking his critics, he went on to birdie the hole and later sank a 20-footer to birdie the last for an admirable 69.

"I've had better weeks and happier times," he said afterwards. "Tom Kite was a great support to me. It was all to do with the Ryder Cup and I'm being blamed for beating America, even though 11 others also played their part. But it hasn't soured me against playing in America. I always enjoy coming here and I remain a great fan of this event."

Kite said: "I always enjoy playing with Colin. He's a good player and a nice man. There were a couple of unwarranted remarks but they were isolated. We should remember that."

Janzen in the third-last pairing on two over par, seemed to be totally out of contention when he bogeyed the second and third to be seven off the lead at that stage. But he then made up seven strokes on the leader over the next 10 holes, through a combination of four birdies and some wayward driving from Stewart.

They were level after Janzen had birdied the 13th; he went a shot ahead when Stewart bogeyed the same hole but they were back level again when Stewart sank a 12-footer for a birdie at the short 14th.

Then we saw the stamp of a true champion when, for the first time over the four rounds, Janzen avoided dropping a stroke at any of the last five holes. He had shown himself equal to a searching test on arguably the most difficult course in US Open history.