Colin Montgomerie survived an out-of-character jittery finish to squeeze to a one-stroke victory in the Scandinavian Masters at Barseback near Malmo yesterday and cement his place in next month's Ryder Cup team.
A win is a win is a win and after the disappointment of the Open, where he slipped to 13th after opening with a 65, he was not complaining about his bogey finale.
It opened the door to reigning European number one Lee Westwood, the defending champion, who had birdied the long 16th and needed to birdie the last to force a play-off against the man who ran away with it by nine strokes on the same course two years ago.
But Westwood, who had fluffed two putts inside a yard and been in and out of the trees all afternoon, pulled his approach into the grandstand and did well to escape with a par four.
So it was Montgomerie, thanks to three birdies in four holes from the 11th, who got round in 70 for a 14-under-par 274 who picked up a third Scandinavian title and a prize of £184,000 sterling.
Westwood (72) had to settle for joint second on 275 with playing partner Ian Poulter, who bravely birdied the final hole from 15 feet to match his par round.
It puts Montgomerie, whose seven-year reign as European number one was dramatically ended by Westwood last autumn in good heart for his next engagement in the US PGA Championship in Atlanta on Thursday week and the NEC World Championship event in Akron a week later.
"I had a fantastic July with victory after a long wait in the Irish Open and then being in contention in the European Open and again at Loch Lomond and after the fantastic reception I had in the Open it was marvellous to come out next time and win again.
"The game of golf like most sports is played in the head. If you think you are going to achieve you are halfway to doing it. I'm actually enjoying it much more as well now.
"I've tried every way to prepare for a major - standing on my head, somersaults. I'm trying something different this time by having a holiday at home before going out to America next Monday.
"I'm absolutely safe for the Ryder Cup now so I can concentrate on doing well in those two hot weeks over there.
"Bernhard Langer, with his victory in Holland last week, and I have done the Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance a favour by playing our way into the team."
It had been Montgomerie's third Irish Open triumph and it was his third victory in a decade in the Scandinavian event.
"The huge crowds have given me fabulous support in every round but I must admit I didn't think 70 would have been good enough to win - perhaps for third or fourth.
"I suppose I sort of relaxed too early. If I'd been only one or two ahead I'd have concentrated that much harder."
Westwood, who had missed the cut on four of his previous six Tour outings to slip to 84th in the order of merit, admitted: "It was very good of Monty to bogey the last two and give me a chance. I'm disappointed at not catching him.
"Missing a two-foot putt at the ninth and a three-footer at the 12th was bad. You just can't afford to do that. Also I didn't get much luck with lies. When I hit one offline I was severely punished.
"But I had only four bogeys all week and I've got to be satisfied with that considering the way things have been. I've played 12 of the last 13 weeks but I don't feel any fatigue."
"I'll have a week off now and I'm looking forward to the two big ones in America."
Poulter, winner of last year's Italian Open and this year's Moroccan championship, is rapidly emerging as a potential Ryder Cup player.
He went into action in 20th place in the qualifying table but now lies 12th after collecting a £96,000 prize and if he stays in the top 12 after the US PGA Championship, into which he has received an invite, he will also get into the even bigger money and could secure a berth at the Belfry.
