By Tony Adamson BBC golf correspondent

It was like reading a gripping whodunnit, only to find the last page had been removed.

Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie, the two strong men of the European tour, were on the 18th tee at Valderrama, unable to finish their Volvo masters play-off .

Two sudden-death holes had failed to separate them. Now it was so dark they couldn't see how far they were standing from the ball, let alone where they were aiming.

An urgent meeting was convened and before long Tour officials and a sponsors' representative made the inevitable decision.

A tie.

Farcical. A shambles. A huge anti-climax to one of the European Tour's most prestigious weeks.

Monty and Langer share spoils

And who's to blame?

As ever, the finger of suspicion points to the television companies who will have decreed a late finish leaving little time for extra holes.

Langer and Mongomerie could not be separated

Instead, had the final round teed off an hour earlier the large galleries would have had their money's worth.

They would have seen a classic clash between two golfing heavyweights who raised the quality of play on Sunday while lesser mortals foundered on Valderamma's treacherous, wind-swept fairways.

Still, both players were pleased enough to share the spoils, picking up �277,775 apiece.

Montgomerie, in particular, was grateful to be caressing a trophy for the first time for 15 months (apart from the Ryder Cup) and especially as he has finished second in all seven of his previous play-offs.

Many will rightly see it as reward for his extraordinary virtuoso performance against the Americans at the Belfry.

The two-horse race for the Volvo Order of Merit title was much less impressive.

Indeed, Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington all week appeared to be playing in the dark, so undistinguished was their scoring.

Missed chance

Never has a European number one greeted his achievement with such little zeal as the South African, the champion two years running.

His demeanour throughout was mysteriously that of a player with little incentive to defend his title and Harrington admitted to missing a great opportunity.

"I thought too much about the Order of Merit," said the Irishman, "and not enough about winning the Volvo Masters."

Harrington finished second on the money list for the second successive year.

For so dedicated and dilligent a player, his appearances in the runners-up enclosure are becoming too frequent for his and his admirers' peace of mind.