Roll on the Ryder Cup.

If next year's Transatlantic gathering at Gleneagles is as good as the last day of the Johnnie Walker Championship, then we're in for quite a treat.

It was Englishman Tommy Fleetwood who was eventually crowned monarch of the Glen yesterday but the Scottish duo of Stephen Gallacher and Scott Henry certainly gave the home galleries packed into the natural amphitheatre around the 18th plenty to shout about during a nailbiting, captivating finale.

Gallacher and Henry had both whipped the crowds into a roaring frenzy with eagles on the final green for five-under-par rounds of 67 as the destination of the title hung in the balance. But, in the end, for them there was the kind of deflation not seen since the Hindenburg went down. For Fleetwood, though, there was only elation.

The Southport youngster's birdie-four on the first hole of a three-man play-off on the 18th denied Gallacher and the hirpling Ricardo Gonzalez and gave the 22-year-old his first European Tour victory in dramatic style after the trio had finished locked on 18-under aggregates of 270 on a tightly-packed leaderboard.

It was perhaps fitting that the former drama student, who carded 70, finally took centre stage at the conclusion of an exciting, breathless afternoon of play that almost left the waiting pipe band out of puff.

The spirited Henry, meanwhile, shared fourth on a 17-under 271 as the Clydebank man enjoyed his best finish of a testing rookie year and gave his hopes of a safeguarding his place among the elite a huge lift.

Fleetwood had prospered on Scottish soil during his amateur days. He was runner-up in the 2008 Amateur Championship at Turnberry and the winner of the Scottish Open Strokeplay Championship at Murcar the following year. His best result on the main tour prior to last night had also been achieved on these shores, with a tie for fifth in the Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews in 2011.

This breakthrough win north of the border was earned the hard way, however. As Gallacher, bunkered his approach, missed an eight-footer for birdie in the play-off, and Gonzalez missed from about five, Fleetwood held his nerve and to roll in a nervy four-footer to capture the £233,330 top prize. "God knows how I even made contact with that putt," said Fleetwood, who is certainly not in this game for the money. "I'm probably the least materialistic person in the world. Winning is all I've ever wanted to do. That's enough for me.

"The money that goes with it is fantastic, obviously, but it doesn't mean that much to me. You look at the winners on the tour and I'll admit I was jealous when someone else won. Finally it's my turn."

The final round was full of fluctuating fortunes and the tone for the day was set early on. Gonzalez, sharing the lead with Fleetwood after 54-holes, crashed to a double-bogey six on the first while Gallacher, three behind at the start of play, stumbled to a five before swiftly repairing the damage with a putt of 40ft for an eagle on the second.

As proceedings unravelled, it needed someone to grab the tournament by the scruff of the neck but nobody seemed to want to do it. With Fleetwood leaking his first shot of the day at the 10th, Gallacher temporarily led outright but his challenge was dealt a fearsome blow on the 11th when his approach shot, played from a divot, flew into a bush at the back of the green. He took a penalty drop, fluffed his first chip and eventually racked up a triple-bogey seven to slither from first to eighth.

Up ahead, Argentina's Emiliano Grillo had set a clubhouse target of 16-under 272 with a rousing 66 and Austria's Bernd Wiesberger upped the ante when he chipped in for an eagle on the 16th to get to 17-under with two to play. The title was well and truly up in the air and at one stage of an enthralling day, some 13 players at the sharp end of affairs were covered by just two shots.

Henry, meanwhile, was putting together a composed, polished performance and when he trundled in a curling eagle putt from 15ft on the last to reach the 17-under mark, the bawl of joy could have been heard on the banks of the Clyde as he unleashed a vein-popping celebration.

"I handled myself so well, playing under as much pressure as I've probably ever played under," said Henry, whose cheque for £64,680 lifted him into 113th place on the Race to Dubai. "I definitely feel like I've now got my game to where it needs to be to compete and to win."

For a spell, it looked like Henry would be involved in a play-off but there would be a few more twists and turns. Gallacher's salvage operation from his ghastly seven was completed in fine style on the 18th when he rolled in an eagle putt to snatch the clubhouse lead. "I knew I needed to hole it to have a chance," said the 38-year-old, who had soldiered on manfully through the pain of a tweaked back.

The drama continued to come thick and fast, though. Gonzalez, who had mounted a battling recovery from his first hole setback and twice had to undergo on-course physiotherapy for a niggling knee injury, almost conjured an astonishing eagle on the last when his bunker shot hit the hole. Had that dropped he would have reached the magical 19-under tally but the resulting birdie for a 70 also left him at 18-under.

Fleetwood, boosted by an eagle on the 16th, ensured he would join the three-man shoot-out with a birdie on the last in a 70. From there, it would be a case of rock on Tommy.