Practice is no longer making perfect for frustrated Monty

Published on Friday 10 July 2009 22:54

COLIN Montgomerie is so disenchanted with the state of his game that he may forego playing any practice rounds in the Open at Turnberry next week and rely on extensive local knowledge to see him through. "I'll turn up on Thursday and give it a rock," he said. "That might be the answer."

If rock was on his mind yesterday, then he might have slipped AC/DC's Back in Black into the CD player in the car since his mood was sombre. While there was something to feel encouraged about when he finished with four consecutive birdies and covered the front nine (his inward half) in 31 at the Barclays Scottish Open, Monty felt it was too little, too late to raise confidence levels in advance of the oldest major.

In spite of signing for 69 and 142, good enough to surprise himself and make the cut, Monty admitted: "I'm not playing very well at all. It's very disappointing, but we will keep going. Those last four birdies? The pins are in some easy positions to be honest. I'll be surprised if there's not a series of holes-in-one at the eighth. Ernie and I had a foot left between us there.

"It's a very easy finish from the sixth hole in. You can reach the sixth in two; the seventh is playing downwind, just a drive and 9 iron; the eighth is a wedge; and the ninth is a sand wedge for the approach. Okay I birdied them all, but you should do. It's not difficult out there at all, but I made it difficult. I played awful yesterday and not much better today.

"The game was solid in France but it's just gone back to where it's been in the last year and a half."

With his name above the door of the academy at Turnberry, Montgomerie has enjoyed closer links with the Ailsa than any other player in recent years. He knows the rough is up and the addition of strategically placed new bunkers have turned Turnberry into a serious test.

"About two weeks ago, they allowed the members on and there were 150 starters," he said. "They left 480 golf balls on the golf course. Now, that's over three balls a player, so there's 480 golf balls lying around there somewhere. That proves, although the fairways were generous, avoid the rough at all costs."