Edoardo Molinari won his second European Tour event of the year at the Johnnie Walker Classic after a sensational finish at Gleneagles.

Standing on the 16th tee, the 29-year-old was trailing Australian Brett Rumford by two shots.

However, some inspired putting and a composed display with his R9 Supertri and R9 TP irons saw him card three birdies over the last three holes to take the title by a single stroke.

While a high-profile tournament in its own right, the Johnnie Walker Classic was nevertheless overshadowed by the issue of Ryder Cup selection, with Colin Montgomerie announcing his three captain's picks following the close of play at Gleneagles.

With both Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson having secured the last two automatic qualification spots after good showings at Gleneagles, Montgomerie had an embarrassment of riches at his disposal but only three wildcards to hand out to complete his European Ryder Cup team.

Paul Casey, Padraig Harrington, Justin Rose, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari were all in contention, and in the end Casey and Rose missed out.

According to Montgomerie, Molinari did not need to win to secure his place in the side but he admitted he had been extremely impressed with the way the young Italian handled the pressure coming down the stretch.

"I think in my time, as a player on the European Tour - I've been a member here for 24 years - I don't think I've seen a finish of that quality under such pressure by anyone, ever," the Scot said.

"I think what Edoardo Molinari did today was literally incredible, and that's the type of player that we need to try and regain this Ryder Cup from the Americans."

Montgomerie said making the wildcard decision had made for the most stressful afternoon of his golfing career, and he "hadn't even hit a golf shot".

What made things particularly difficult was that both Rose and Casey were in the US playing in The Barclays tournament, which forms part of the FedEx Cup series.

This meant that Montgomerie was unable to speak personally to Casey, who because of the time difference was out on the golf course.

He did manage to speak to Rose, who was out on the range preparing for his final round. Even so, Montgomerie admitted it was not the best time to break the news as it risked spoiling his concentration in a crucial tournament.

"At the same time, I felt it was better to hear it come from me as this announcement goes worldwide," Europe's captain commented.

The Barclays was eventually won by Matt Kuchar after he came out on top in a playoff with Martin Laird.

Meanwhile, world number one Tiger Woods continued his resurgence with a 12th place finish after a four-under-par round of 67.

Woods, who is chasing a place on the US Ryder Cup side courtesy of a captain's pick, said he needed to work on his putting but was pleased with his display with his Nike Victory Red Forged TW Blade Irons.

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