All around Colin Montgomerie there were mini-explosions of genius.

Chip-ins for eagles, birdies by the bucketload, golf as brilliant and dramatic as it comes, but for Montgomerie the final 18 holes of the 133rd Open Championship at Royal Troon proved a round too far.

Not even the raucous support of a home-town crowd, the sort every sportsman must dream of, could inspire Montgomerie one last time as the swirl of emotion which has surrounded him in the past four months finally took its toll with a five over par 76 which left him two over par for the tournament.

So he went the way of Tim Henman and David Beckham and Clive Woodward's England, all high-profile casualties of a British summer of discontent.

Montgomerie did not deserve the humiliation of three-putting from four feet on the par four 13th or the double-bogey which scarred his card on the 17th, but by then the needle on the rocket fuel on which he has been operating as he emerged this past week from the sadness of his marriage break-up was close to empty.

Not even those setbacks, however, could entirely depress the new Monty.

"I can still win this championship one day if it all goes my way," Montgomerie said defiantly. "I wouldn't say this was a chance lost. It was a very good Open for me and there are a lot of positives.

"The first three days were a wonderful experience and I'll always remember the support from the British public. I'll look back on that in years to come. I always knew I had to score seven or eight under to win today."

The truth is Montgomerie never looked like producing an action replay of the magical 65 shot in the final round by Justin Leonard here in 1997 to get his arms around that Old Claret Jug.

As he marched purposely to the first tee he remarked to caddie Alastair Forsyth: "Brace yourself for this."

The gallery did not disappoint. The saltires fluttered as they have done all week and a great wall of sound urged Montgomerie on his way.

He had said he needed to be at least two under after four holes to seriously be in contention but as he reached the par five fourth he had not troubled the red figures on the scoreboard.

A 320-yard drive followed into the middle of the fairway as he searched for the eagle he required and as he lined up his approach a Monty fan, with hands clasped in mock prayer, remarked "Please be on the green."

He missed it left but pin high and a deft little chip to 12 inches gave him his birdie.

Monty was on the march. Well, at least he was moving in the right direction but even now the roars drifting on the Ayrshire air were telling the tale of more pressing feats elsewhere.

The men of the moment, Els, Mickelson and Woods, were making their charge unburdened by the millstone of being the 'best golfer never to win a Major,' and unfettered by the emotional baggage which Montgomerie has carried on his heart and sleeve these past four months.

The unknown overnight leader Todd Hamilton, 38, was proving that age and lack of Major experience is not necessarily a barrier.

Meanwhile, Montgomerie tried. Oh how he tried. Too hard at times. He saw birdie chances at seven and eight stop agonisingly short but when he missed a 10-foot putt for par on the ninth even his most fervent fans must have known it was all over.

There was a communal and sympathetic 'Aaah' from the gallery.

Another bogey at the 10th when his 10-foot putt rolled by saw a shrug of the shoulders and a tightening of the lips replace the optimism of two hours before.

And then came the cruel ignominy of three-putting from four feet to record that double-bogey six at the 13th. The concentration was gone, the resolve shattered and another double-bogey scarred the 17th but amazingly the smile with which he has wooed the galleries and the cameramen this past week was still intact.

That is why it would be wrong to consign Montgomerie's work solely to the ultimate disappointment of his final round.

At least the last four days at Royal Troon have proved that the 'best golfer never to win a Major' is still the best golfer never to win a Major.

With his mind freed from the dislocation and loneliness of his impending divorce he demonstrated he still possesses the technique and the consistency to compete with golf's major players.

He doesn't hit the ball as straight or as true as once he did and his putter sometimes takes the day off without giving due notice but his form this week should at least have persuaded Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer that Montgomerie is a wild-card must for the Ryder Cup in Detroit come September.

It would be a nonsense to ditch the passion, desire and raging will-to-win which Montgomerie brings to the party.

Just as it would be sad if Montgomerie were to forsake the fresh perspective with which he has approached life of late. This past week he has apologised to photographers, been courteous to stewards and gone out of his way to be helpful to the media.

"And if that putt at eight had gone in, who knows," said Montgomerie of the strike which halted one roll away from a birdie. "It would have taken me to five under and then it might have been a different back nine.

"That putt was the turning point. If if had gone in it might have been a different story."