Argentina's Eduardo Romero became the third oldest winner in European tour history at Loch Lomond - and £366,660 richer.

"I can buy my country," he joked after beating Swede Fredrik Jacobson with a nine-foot birdie putt at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off in the Barclays Scottish Open.

Romero, 48 on the eve of the Open this Wednesday, added: "It's a very special moment. I'm not old, but I could be these youngsters' father."

Only Ireland's Des Smyth and England's Neil Coles were older when they lifted titles - Smyth in Madeira last season and Coles at the 1982 Sanyo Open in Spain. Both had just turned 48.

Jacobson, five times a runner-up on the circuit without ever winning, led by one with two to play, just as he had at the Irish Open two years ago.

On that occasion he bogeyed the final two holes. This time just one bogey was his undoing, but it was another bad one.

The 27-year-old three-putted the short 17th, missing from under three feet.

Both parred the last to finish on the 11-under-par mark of 273, Romero holing from 10 feet for a 70 and Jacobson a three-footer for a 71.

But when they returned to the tee at the 430-yard 18th Jacobson went over the green, and Romero seized his chance wonderfully well.

"I could see he was extremely nervous," said Romero, who in stark contrast to his opponent has won 83 times around South America.

"I saw a little shaking when he was chipping and putting. But it's normal - it's pressure."

Victory made the player known as 'The Cat' just the seventh non-European to earn more than £4million on the tour. It was his eighth win here, but more than twice what he has ever pocketed from one event before.

Kent's Roger Chapman and South African Tim Clark finished joint third a stroke behind, Chapman after double-bogeying the 17th. Justin Rose was a further shot back in fifth spot.

The golfing gods had shined on Jacobson at the 490-yard par four 16th.

He received free drops after his hooked drive finished on tyre tracks and then when his second shot over the trees was found by Romero - after a three-minute search - embedded on the bank of the stream in front of the green.

Having salvaged his par there, however, he messed up on the next and said after losing: "That was absolutely the best chance I have ever had to win a tournament out here.

"I had it pretty much in control - 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. I tried to cope with it the best I could and hung in the best I could.

"When I made the four at the 16th I thought that might be a sign that it was my day. But my legs started to go a bit soft."

He had the compensation - small compensation - of qualifying for the Open through his performance. But it is not what he will remember the week for.

Chapman, who waited 472 events and 19 years for his first win at the 2000 Brazil Open, said: "The tee shot on the 17th was my one really bad shot of the day. I put a four-iron right into the back of the bunker and really had no shot.

"I managed to get it out only just into the long grass and chipped on about eight feet past. I thought I had holed that, but it just slipped by and that was that.

"I had two goals this week, though. The first was to make the cut because I hadn't made it here for two or three years, then an Open spot.

"All of a sudden, after the 66 I shot in the third round, I'm thinking that maybe I can sneak a win. I'm disappointed about the 17th, but birdies either side were pleasing - and overall I'm happy."

He and Clark, winner of the South African Open in January, earned career-best cheques of £123,860.

Collated final totals in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond (Gbr and Irl unless stated, par 71):

(x) denotes amateur

(Romero won at first play-off hole)

273 Eduardo Romero (Arg) 72 66 65 70 (£366,660), Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 66 65 71 71 (£244,440)

274 Tim Clark (Rsa) 71 68 67 68, Roger Chapman 70 70 66 68 (£123,860 each)

275 Justin Rose 65 71 68 71 (£93,280)

276 Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 72 70 69 65, Tom Lehman (USA) 69 69 71 67, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra) 70 72 67 67, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 72 67 66 71, Stephen Leaney (Aus) 72 65 67 72

277 John Bickerton 67 73 67 70, Paul Casey 72 69 65 71, Warren Bennett 67 70 68 72

278 Colin Montgomerie 72 71 69 66, Marc Farry (Fra) 71 69 70 68, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 72 69 69 68, Paul McGinley 69 73 68 68, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 70 66 73 69, Barry Lane 74 66 69 69, Jamie Spence 70 69 67 72

279 Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 74 68 69 68, Richard Bland 68 71 71 69, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 72 69 69 69, (x) Barry Hume 67 70 72 70

280 Nick Dougherty 72 69 70 69, Soren Hansen (Den) 72 68 70 70, Jonathan Lomas (Swe) 69 70 70 71, Ian Woosnam 72 67 70 71, Rodney Pampling (Aus) 74 67 68 71, Peter Hanson (Swe) 76 65 68 71, Darren Clarke 70 73 66 71

281 Michael Hoey 68 72 72 69, Bradley Dredge 72 70 70 69, Dean Wilson (USA) 68 73 70 70, Alastair Forsyth 72 70 69 70, Jeff Maggert (USA) 71 72 68 70, Gary Evans 73 66 71 71, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 69 71 68 73, Jose Coceres (Arg) 71 70 66 74, David Howell 68 71 67 75

282 Niclas Fasth (Swe) 70 68 79 65, Stephen Dodd 69 71 74 68, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 74 68 71 69, Fred Funk (USA) 71 71 71 69, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 73 70 70 69, Cameron Beckman (USA) 71 68 72 71, Phillip Price 73 69 69 71, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 69 74 68 71, Sandy Lyle 67 68 75 72

283 Gary Orr 73 67 72 71, Richard Johnson (Swe) 71 65 75 72, Ernie Els (Rsa) 68 74 69 72

284 Simon Dyson 68 74 75 67, Gordon Brand Jnr 68 74 74 68, Miguel Angel Martin (Spa) 72 70 74 68, Sam Torrance 68 73 74 69, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 69 71 74 70, Paul Lawrie 69 73 72 70, Robert-Jan Derksen (Ned) 69 72 72 71, Mathias Gronberg (Swe) 73 69 69 73, Henrik Bjornstad (Nor) 72 71 68 73, Brad Faxon (USA) 68 72 70 74

285 Thomas Levet (Fra) 73 70 73 69, Arjun Atwal (Ind) 74 69 72 70, Per-Ulrik Johansson (Swe) 69 73 71 72, Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 71 71 71 72, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 74 69 69 73

286 Jorge Berendt (Arg) 72 68 72 74

287 Diego Borrego (Spa) 75 68 74 70, Matt Gogel (USA) 69 68 76 74

288 Philip Golding 72 70 74 72

289 Mark Pilkington 71 67 79 72, Miles Tunnicliff 66 70 76 77

290 Costantino Rocca (Ita) 71 72 76 71, Tony Johnstone (Zim) 68 71 76 75