Monty in nightmare tumble

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Colin Montgomerie has crashed to last place at the Wales Open – but it was his playing partner who blew his top.

Colin Montgomerie crashed to last place in Friday’s second round of the Saab Wales Open at Celtic Manor – but it was playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez who blew his top.

While Montgomerie was 13 over par on a miserable return to the course where he led Europe to their thrilling Ryder Cup victory last October, the Spaniard gave vent to his fury when a lay-up shot on the long 18th ran into the lake.
Jimenez, who was a member of Montgomerie’s Ryder Cup winners, slammed down his yardage book in disgust – and then gave it a good kick for good measure..
His bogey six on the hole made him two over as he started the front nine, with level par the predicted mark for the halfway cut later in the day.
Montgomerie had long since given up hope of being around for the weekend.
The 47-year-old Scot’s opening 78 was bad enough, but he then dropped six more shots on the first eight holes of his second round.

It happened this way.

After teeing off at the 10th, Montgomerie drove into the water for a double bogey on the 12th and, in between three-putting the 15th and 17th, he dropped two more strokes after ovwer-flying the green.

What made it all the more dispiriting for the eight-time European number one was that it came hot on the heels of his first top 10 finish for almost three years when he finished seventh among the Tour’s elite at its flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

He had failed to qualify for the US Open on Monday, though, and at the start of next week another qualifier for The Open has now taken on massive importance.

If he does not make it through at Sunningdale the cold reality is that he might have played his last major.

Three other former Ryder Cup players were going well, though.

Paul Broadhurst, without a Tour card 20 years after his one Ryder Cup cap at Kiawah Island, was playing thanks to a sponsor’s invitation and starting with three birdies in a row, took him into the outright lead at eight under.
A bogey did follow for the 45-year-old, though, and so he was back into a tie with South African Keith Horne, who following his opening 64 was among the later starters.
So too was last October’s hero Graeme McDowell – this week’s defending champion began with a 67 – but 50-year-old Barry Lane and 42-year-old Darren Clarke, a winner in Majorca last month, improved to four under.
Lane is trying to become the oldest winner in Tour history.

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