Only 16 months after his life was saved by neurosurgery, David Carter secured a spectacular, first European Tour victory in the Murphy's Irish Open at Druids Glen yesterday. He claimed top prize of £159,991 stg by beating Colin Montgomerie, winner for the last two years, at the first hole of a suddendeath play-off.

Even when the coveted prize seemed to be slipping away from him, Carter never lost faith. "It's meant to be," he told himself when two young spectators found his ball in unpenetrable rough on the 16th hole, with only a minute of searching time remaining.

Ireland's John McHenry was also rewarded for positive thinking when he shared third place for £53,996 stg - easily the biggest cheque of his career. And like a skilled surgeon had done for Carter in Dubai last year, the money will breathe new life into a faltering golfing career.

Having led by four strokes at the turn, Carter eventually had to sink a 20-foot downhill putt for a bogey at the 18th to force a playoff. "When that putt went down I thought `I've done it; I've won'," he said. "But of course I hadn't. Still, so many things were going right for me that I couldn't imagine myself losing when I went back to the 18th tee in a buggy for the start of the play-off."

His optimism was not misplaced. It was Montgomerie who made the play-off errors, hooking his drive into rough on the left from where he fatally misjudged a lay-up pitch, sending it into water. A short time afterwards, the Scot was on the green with an outstretched hand, conceding defeat.

"This means everything to me," said Carter afterwards. "When you almost die, it is an unbelievable feeling to come back and prove that you are a winner. My parents, friends, the surgeon, they've all helped me to come back by nursing me, encouraging me. They've been superb."

Medical opinion seems to differ as to the precise nature of Carter's problem. What is certain, however, is that he felt ill on the practice ground on the Tuesday of the Desert Classic week in Dubai last year. Concerned for his wellbeing, fellow tournament player Iain Pyman and his travel agent Kath Longhurst (a niece of Henry's), went to see him in his hotel.

To their horror they discovered him in his room, in a coma. After calling a doctor, they were told it wasn't especially serious, but they insisted that he receive expert help. The upshot was that he had an emergency operation to remove fluid from his brain. The operating surgeon attributed the problem to a virus, but another expert claimed it was the result of hitting his head in a boating accident earlier in South Africa.

What is not in dispute, however, was that he had three hours, or four at the most, to live when his friends came upon him.

"I had a short term memory loss for about a year and it's still not that brilliant," he said. "During my stay in hospital, Iain would come in to see me in the morning and when he'd return in the afternoon I'd ask `where were you this morning'. But otherwise, everything's fine."

It was the fifth play-off in the Irish Open in the last 14 years and as it happened, the changes made to the course this year were crucial in bringing it about. "The sand that Carter found off the 16th tee wasn't there 12 months ago," said designer Pat Ruddy.

For his part, Montgomerie must be wondering when his play-off luck is going to change. This was his fourth time to lose in four experiences of sudden death in Europe. He also failed twice in America - in the US Open and the USPGA championship.