Romero defeats Jacobson in playoff

Argentina's Eduardo Romero became the third oldest winner in European Tour history when he edged out Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson in a playoff to secure the Scottish Open title Sunday.

The 47-year-old Romero, who has set his sights on the U.S. Seniors Tour in two years' time, clinched the eighth European triumph of his career at the first extra hole.

The Argentine hit a massive drive 315 yards at the par-four 18th, rifled a pitching wedge from 120 yards to nine feet and then made the birdie putt.

Jacobson, chasing his maiden career victory after five runners-up finishes, had pulled his second shot left of the green after an accurate drive before hitting his third four feet past the hole.

Both players had completed the 72 regulation holes at 11-under 273, Romero after closing with a 70 and Jacobson with a level-par 71 on an overcast day at Loch Lomond.

"This is a very special moment for me because my family is staying with me at the moment," said an emotional Romero after receiving a check for 366,660 pounds ($568,200) -- the biggest of his career.

"Winning in Scotland is like winning in my own country with all the mountains and lakes. With this check, now I can buy my own country!

"I played really well this week and my concentration has been almost perfect. I made a couple of mistakes early on today but then came back quickly," he added, referring to his successive bogeys at the second and third holes.

Jacobson admitted that nerves had affected his chances of victory.

"That was absolutely the best chance I have ever had to win a tournament out here and I had it pretty much in control," the Swede said.

"But, over the last three or four holes I got very nervous. I didn't see much of the back nine at all to be honest, it was all kind of in a fog."

OLDER WINNERS

Only Ireland's Des Smyth, who triumphed at last year's Madeira Island Open, and England's Neil Coles, who clinched the 1982 Sanyo Open, have been older winners than Romero in Europe.

South Africa's Tim Clark birdied four of the last six holes to card a 68 and share third place at 10-under 274 with England's Roger Chapman, whose matching 68 featured a birdie-bogey-birdie finish.

England's Justin Rose, bidding for his fifth title of the year, ended up in fifth a further stroke back after a final-round 71.

For much of the final day, the tournament appeared to be in Jacobson's control, especially when he survived a couple of anxious moments down the stretch.

The 27-year-old Swede, who was just one clear overnight, offset two birdies with two bogeys to retain his one-shot cushion with nine holes to play.

He birdied 11, bogeyed 13 and picked up another shot at the par-four 14th -- where his tee shot landed on the green and bounced into the back fringe -- to stay one in front with three holes remaining.

FREE DROPS

The Swede then twice flirted with disaster at the 490-yard 16th before running up a very fortunate par-four.

He benefited from successive free drops after pulling his tee shot left into tractor marks in the rough and then hitting his second into a bank above a stream in front of the green.

The first drop was due to "abnormal ground conditions" and the second because of an embedded ball, the European Tour's chief referee John Paramor said.

But Jacobson then missed a par-putt from two and a half feet at the short 17th to drop back into a tie for the lead with Romero at 11-under, the Argentine having birdied on 12 and 15.

"When I made the four at the 16th, I thought that might be a sign that it was my day, but I just had a terrible three-putt at the 17th," said Jacobson.

Earlier, Colin Montgomerie finished the tournament in style, although he was frustrated to have missed nine putts from inside 15 feet as he closed with a five-under 66.

The seven-times European number one collected four birdies, an eagle-three at the 560-yard 13th and a bogey at the par-four 16th to finish at six-under 278 -- and in a tie for 14th.

"That was the best I've played for many, many years and to miss as many putts as that was criminal," the Scot said.

Fifteen players received late exemptions into next week's British Open at Muirfield from the Loch Lomond event.

These included Jacobson, Chapman, Australian Stephen Leaney, Denmark's Soren Hansen, Frenchmen Marc Farry and Jean-Francois Remesy, Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez and Englishmen Paul Casey, Warren Bennett and Jamie Spence.

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