One is a 50-year-old enjoying a new lease of golfing life.
The other is a 44-year-old who continues to improve with age. Colin Montgomerie and Catriona Matthew, two of Scotland's most celebrated golfers, produced two vintage performances on a day of glory on the professional stage.
Montgomerie, the former Ryder Cup captain and an eight-time winner of the European order of merit during his pomp, claimed his maiden victory on the European Senior Tour with a six-shot success in the Travis Perkins Senior Masters at Woburn. In her native East Lothian, meanwhile, Matthew, Scotland's highest ranked player on the global order at No.10, eased to a two-stroke triumph in the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open at Archerfield Links.
Montgomerie, who turned 50 in June and has been competing among the golden oldies on both sides of the Atlantic, had not won a professional event for six years and 55 days but the Scot ended that drought in fine style with a closing two-under 70 over Woburn's Duke's course for a 10-under 206 and a commanding win over Miguel Angel Martin. "It feels great," an elated Montgomerie beamed. "Anybody with any competitive blood in them knows that it is nice to win, to come out on top."
This was Montgomerie's first success since he captured the last of his 31 European Tour crowns in the 2007 European Open at the K Club. The former Ryder Cup captain added: "I've said it before but it is like a new lease of life turning 50 in golf. I can't think of any other sports where you take a new step on in your career at such an age."
Back on Scottish soil, Matthew harnessed the windy conditions at Archerfield and captured the Scottish Open for the second time in three years. The Solheim Cup veteran had won her home Open by 10 shots in 2011 and was always in command at the weekend after moving three shots clear of the chasing pack during Saturday's third round.
Matthew finished the job with a two-under 70 for a winning aggregate of eight-under par, two ahead of Hannah Burke. She said: "Winning on any tour is difficult and I'm delighted. It was a difficult day. Hannah pushed me but I played well today."
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