THERE was never a realistic ?chance that Raymond Burns would deprive Colin Montgomerie of the top prize of £108,330 in the Desert Classic here at the Emirates club yesterday. But Burns hit what I was unquestionably his finest shot in tournament golf, when setting up a closing eagle-three the only one there all day to claim a share of fifth place and the biggest cheque of his career.

A par at the long 18th would have given Burns a share of 10th place with three others; a birdie and he would have been among five sharing sixth position. By smashing a majestic three-wood second shot of 256 yards to within nine feet of the pin, however, he set himself up for a reward of £25,140. Effectively, the treacherous, downhill putt which broke from just outside the right lip, was worth £7,938 - almost £900 per foot.

Interestingly, as Montgomcrie was in the process of starting his season with the 10th win of his career, he faced a second shot of 236 yards to the pin at the 18th, while trying to protect a one-stroke lead over his playing partner, Miguel-Angel Jimenez of Spain. And the big Scot considered it prudent to hit a driver into the freshening, right to left breeze.

With a final round of 68, Montgomerie overhauled the former Costa del Sol caddie, who had led by a commanding four strokes at the halfway stage. And though only five strokes separated the leading five players overnight - Jimenez, Montgomerie, Burns, Ian Woosnam and Peter Baker - it had become very much a two-way battle from an early stage of the final round.

Jimenez was actually level with only three holes to play, but even then, one suspected that the world number four had the measure of his man - an assessment which soon proved to be correct. The Spaniard made a fatal error at the 392-yard 16th. In attempting to punch an eight-iron second shot, poor contact with the ball caused it to rise on the wind with the result that it came up badly short of the target. And after chipping to four feet, he missed the putt.

The leading pair were effectively engaged in matchplay from the seventh. So it was that Montgomerie made a matchplay rather than a strokeplay decision on the 18th fairway. "I was first to play and I knew he (Jimenez) could get up with his three-wood," said the Scot. "I had a carry of 222 yards over the water took the driver and hit a very, very good shot."

He went on: "It probably wasn't the percentage shot, but it was the winning shot. That's what mattered. And that's why they build finishing holes like this one, with water in front of the green." It was very much to the Scot's credit that he was prepared to go for the win rather than lay up with the possible consequence of having to take his chance in a play-off.

As it happened, the ball came to rest 15 feet from the target. Jimenez then overshot the green with his approach overcame an awkward stance to play a recovery chip to six feet from the hole and sank the putt to secure runner-up position and a cheque for £72,210. The closest challenger to the leading pair was the little-known Australian, Robert Willis, whose last round of 68 earned him third place on his own.

The nature of the approach shots by Montgomerie and Burns to the 18th, provided a fascinating insight into the character of the two players, even if there was far more at stake for the Scot. Though he claimed he had taken a risk, his use of the driver ensured that he was still hitting well within himself. Burns, on the other hand, used a three-wood for a shot 18 yards longer.

"When I saw Woosie (his playing partner, Ian Woosnam) laying up, I decided to take it on," said the 22-year-old. "I didn't seem to be able to make anything happen from the third hole and this was my last chance. It was a tough shot which I knew was on my limit for a three-wood. I had to hit it 100 per cent and I did. It was a shoelaces job. Then, by sinking the putt for an eagle, I turned it into an incredible day."

Burns collected £10,100 for a share of eighth place behind Fred Couples in this event 14 months ago and his best European Tour finish prior to yesterday's effort was tied seventh (£11,706) in the BMW International Open last May. "Obviously I was trying to win," he said, after a brilliant 65 on Saturday had left him within two strokes of the lead. "But if you offered me fifth place coming here, I would have grabbed it."

He went on: "Sure, there's room for improvement but I'm only 22. I've got plenty of time to learn. I proved on the Challenge Tour that I know how to win and I'm prepared to accept that I have a few more steps to take before I'm ready for the breakthrough at this level."

Playing with Woosnam for a second successive day - "We fed off each other yesterday, but ran out of food today" - Burns got within a stroke of the lead when he wedged to three feet for a birdie at the first. But he was to learn that however well it had performed on Saturday, the broomhandle putter didn't have miraculous properties. In fact a combination of slack approach play and indifferent short-putting, caused him to three-putt on three occasions on the outward journey which he covered in 36 strokes - one over par.

Still he battled on, with his distinctive walk like an old sea-dog straddling the deck of a storm-tossed schooner. Slack approach play led to further bogeys at 12th and 14th leaving him three over par for the round and seemingly set to finish someway down the leaderboard.

Couples, the holder, was in ahead of him on 13-under-par after a final around of 65 in which, almost predictably, he birdied the four par fives. And Peter Baker, who had battled back admirably to a level-par round from a wretched eight at the long third where he was twice unplayable, was also ahead of him on 12 under. But the Irishman produced a finish of the highest quality.

At 547 yards, with water fronting the green, the 18th is a fairly straightforward three-shotter. What makes it interesting, however, is the possibility of getting home in two - a particularly daunting challenge with the pin in its "Sunday" position, over to the right and only 13 yards up from the water. It was where Seve Ballesteros came to grief yesterday with a closing seven for a wretched 77 and a share of last place on 292.

Significantly, Montgomerie was the only player to break 70 in all four rounds. But typically, before departing here last night, he was still looking for improvement. "You can never, ever be good enough at chipping and putting," he said. And with that, he looked towards the US and a four-week build-up to the Masters.