This miss saw another chance of a Major title slip by

But those who believed Monty might have been inspired by his near miss two years earlier were proved wrong.

He slumped to a horrendous 78, caused by some desperate chipping which contributed to not one, not two, but three triple bogeys.

In 1995 and '96, at the start of his European roll, Montgomerie finished the US Open with five-figure cheques without really distinguishing himself.

But in 1997, with the tournament at Bethesda in Maryland, it seemed this time he was poised for glory.

Once again it was Els, nicknamed the Big Easy for his laidback nature, who stood in his way at the start of another 18-hole play-off.

They were joined by Tom Lehman and Jeff Maggert and all four players were level going into the final nine holes.

But by the time the clubhouse was in sight, the American challenge had evaporated leaving Monty and Els neck and neck.

The title was decided on the 17th green in a moment which has since defined Monty's tetchy relationship with the American galleries.

Having found the rough with his drive, Monty needed to hole a six-foot putt to match Els.

Ernie Els' two US Open wins have both come courtesy of Monty's defeats

Despite waiting a full five minutes for the crowd to die down, Monty missed and was forced to settle for second again.

As the unflappable Els observed afterwards: "You're never going to get 20,000 people to be quiet with two international guys leading - you could stand on your head and they still wouldn't be quiet."

Many observers argued that Monty could and should have avoided the lottery of another play-off had he not succumbed to a hot-headed second round blow-out.

He blamed hecklers and rain delays for a poor 78.

His one-time coach Dennis Pugh argues that the fire in Montgomerie's belly is part of what makes him such a good golfer.

"He is a great player who just happens to get a bit emotional and I work with that, not against it".

Monty is the golfer the Americans love to hate

The trouble is that in America, where three of those elusive Majors are contested, Monty baiting has become almost a sport in its own right.

The abuse, good-natured or otherwise, he suffers at the hands of the partisan crowds, coupled with the pressure he now concedes is mounting with every missed Major, makes winning one even harder.

And the simple reality is that Montgomerie's game is not what it was.

Since 1997, Montgomerie has failed to finish in the top ten at the US Open - last year's 11-over-par effort his worst in his nine attempts.

Annoying itch

Having surrendered his European crown to Lee Westwood after seven consecutive years at the top, Montgomerie cut down his commitments to concentrate on this year's Majors.

The plan backfired - he missed the cut at the US Masters and performed poorly in May's Volvo PGA Masters.

A fourth consecutive victory at the Wentworth course he has made his own could have been the ideal psychological boost for the US Open.

But he never recovered from what is becoming his trademark aberration, a second round 73 caused by a triple bogey at the 17th, which left him 10 shots off the pace.

He made a good start at his most recent tournament, the British Masters, but his third round 74 effectively ended his challenge.

The fact is that Montgomerie has not been in contention for a Major for the last four years.

His hints of retirement have been growing ever louder.

And it may not be long before Europe's most successful golfer, the first to bank �10m, decides there is little point in further aggravating what has been an increasingly annoying itch.