Monty faces tall order in bid for Masters spot

Published on Tuesday 4 March 2008 20:58

COLIN Montgomerie must target a top-ten performance in the next World Golf Championship event at Doral in Florida later this month if he intends reviving his faltering hopes of climbing back into the world's top 50 and earn a spot at the Masters.

Currently filling 59th place in the world rankings with a points average of 1.96 – David Toms in 50th spot is on 2.22 – Monty will tee up in just two more events before the cut-off point arrives for Augusta at the end of the month.

After finishing joint ninth in the Accenture Match Play last month, the Scot can forget about the Masters if he finishes outside the top ten at Doral.

While the variable of how other players perform in the world rankings muddies the waters surrounding precisely what Monty must achieve to get back in the top 50, he knows a strong display in next week's Ballantines Championship in South Korea will help. But it is the CA Championship at Doral which is crucial to Montgomerie's cause.

Apart from the Players Championship at Sawgrass, the PGA Tour's flagship event, the three tournaments staged under the umbrella of the World Golf Championship carry the most ranking points outside the four majors. For example, the Scot received 8.88 points for finishing in a share of ninth at the Accenture in Arizona last month compared to just 2.65 for occupying the same mark in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles last year.

After his hopes of playing in the Masters were dented by a missed cut at the Johnnie Walker Classic, the Scot was realistic enough to acknowledge his track record in tournaments at Doral is not inspiring. On the other hand, having missed the cut at the Classic, he is at least guaranteed to play 72 holes in Florida.

"That's the good thing about the CA Championship. There's no cut and there are a lot of world ranking points available. If you show form, you rise," he observed. "I don't want to miss out on the Masters because this is a Ryder Cup year and, if you don't play, you lose out on all the precious points that are available to those who are competing (at Augusta]. If you're not there, you're on the back foot."

Even if he does make it to the Masters, the Scot's track record at Augusta in recent years is poor. The last time he finished in the top 20 there was in 2002. He previously failed to qualify in 2005, the first time he had been an absentee at Augusta since 1992.