Edoardo Molinari's magic finish puts Colin Montgomerie under his spell

edoardo molinari Italy's Edoardo Molinari en route to victory in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and a subsequent selection for the Ryder Cup team. Photograph: Lynne Cameron/AP

If 14½ – the number of points needed to win back the Ryder Cup for Europe – is the magic number for Colin Montgomerie, then Edoardo Molinari was the Italian magician who could not be denied.

The new Johnnie Walker champion's victory at Gleneagles today was one thing, but the manner of it was quite another. "Incredible," said the Scot, sounding more like a breathless fan-boy than a grey-haired veteran in his choice of an adjective to describe the birdie-birdie-birdie finish that nicked a European Tour victory from the Australian, Brett Rumford, and snatched a place on the European Ryder Cup team from, in all likelihood, Paul Casey. And Montgomerie was not finished gushing. "In my 25 years on tour I don't think I have ever seen a finish of that quality under such pressure by anyone, anywhere."

It can safely be assumed the Europe captain's enthusiasm for Molinari's effort was echoed inside the headquarters of the Scottish PGA, where Montgomerie and his three vice-captains spent the afternoon deciding (or, more likely, arguing) over the final line-up of the team to face Corey Pavin's US team at Celtic Manor in South Wales.

Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn and Darren Clarke have been around the block as often as Montgomerie and are, in a golfing sense, hard men, unafraid to voice opinions and certainly not inclined to kow-tow to the senior ranks.

If, as rumoured, Montgomerie was inclined to go for Paul Casey, then he was probably in a minority of one. The Englishman may be ninth in the world rankings but in any popularity contest among his European-based peers he is down among the dead men in ordinary times, and in the final week of Ryder Cup qualifying he fell to the absolute bottom of the heap.

"I have done all I can," Casey said at the US PGA Championship two weeks ago, when asked why he would not travel to Gleneagles in an attempt to secure his place on the team. Really? Instead, he remained in the United States to play in this week's Barclays Championship.

Of course, Padraig Harrington did the same thing, and said the same thing, but the Irishman had experience, three major championships and the unconditional support of Montgomerie, his erstwhile Ryder Cup partner, behind him. There was no way the Scot would ride into Celtic Manor without his faithful Tonto beside him.

Harrington was indispensable. Casey, ranked 10 places higher than the Irishman and one place above the third captain's pick, Luke Donald, was not.

No doubt Casey – who was on the course in New Jersey when the announcement of his omission was made and got the news by text – will feel deeply aggrieved and he might even have a point. But he has only himself, or at least his apparent diffidence, to blame. Donald, at least, made an effort to play himself into the team, travelling over the Atlantic earlier in the year to take part in the Wales Open and then in Madrid, a tournament he won.

After making his announcement, Montgomerie denied that "loyalty" to the European Tour played any part in the decision; that all that mattered was winning back the cup.

That may be the most important thing, but it was not the only thing. Over the past week Molinari's quest for a place on the team for Celtic Manor had come to embody the concerns of the European Tour rank and file, the majority of whom were aghast at the apparent indifference of the so-called FedEx Four and of Casey in particular.

The Italian did not have the option of playing in the United States this week but even if he had, it was clear he would still have been in Scotland. Loyalty counts for something on the practice putting green, as does the respect Molinari has earned in the eight months he has been a full member of the European Tour and had risen to 21st in the world rankings before his latest effort in the glens of Perthshire.

Molinari started the day in second place, one shot behind his brother, Francesco, knowing that a victory would be enough to make his claim for a place in the team irresistible. For a long time that looked beyond his reach, but when destiny came calling the Italian kicked open the door and gave it a bear hug.

Standing on the 16th tee he knew he needed two birdies to match the clubhouse leader, Rumford. He did better than that, getting up and down from the back of 16th green for a birdie four, then running in a 30ft putt for birdie on the 17th and, finally, another birdie at the last, courtesy of a wonderful chip to 18in and a tap-in putt. Birdie, birdie, birdie – of such courage under pressure are great Ryder Cup competitors made. Or so Montgomerie will hope.