Colin Montgomerie’s bid to become oldest Tour winner looks tall order

ONE of Colin Montgomerie’s remaining career goals is to become the European Tour’s oldest winner. Based on his final two rounds at Wentworth, that is going to be easier said than done.

The Scot once reigned supreme on the West Course, winning this event three years in a row and a World Match Play Championship as well. In fact, he claimed his knowledge of the layout made him feel as though he was “one up” before even stepping on to the first tee.

His good vibes about the place were still there 12 months ago as Monty rolled back the years to finish in a tie for seventh in the European Tour’s flagship event. However, that’s been his only top 10 since 2008 and just a week later he crashed back to earth with rounds of 78 and 79 in the Wales Open at Celtic Manor.

In truth, there have been very few highlights for the eight-time European No 1 since Wentworth last year. There was certainly no confidence boost for him in Surrey and while a 78 on Saturday constituted his worst-ever score there, he then followed that with a nine-over-par final round of 81.

At 14-over-par, the only man to win the title three times was in last place among the 72 players who made the halfway cut.

It also raised the question if he was making the right decision by heading to nearby Walton Heath today for the 36-hole US Open qualifier. The 48-year-old still likes being on the big stage, but due to fall outside of the world’s top 400 after this performance, is his game good enough?

Having decided not to enter, David Drysdale definitely wasn’t going to Walton Heath, while Marc Warren was having second thoughts after his final round yesterday.

Joint-second at the halfway stage, Drysdale’s title hopes were wrecked by a quadruple-bogey 8 at the eighth followd by four more dropped shots straight after on Saturday but, boy, did the 37-year-old from Cockburnspath battle back well.

A closing 70 gave him a four-under-par total and a share of tenth, earning £62,538 – the second biggest cheque of his career. “That was horrific,” said Drysdale of the damaging run in the third round. “But, overall I’m delighted.”

Warren ran up a triple-bogey 8 at the 17th, where he “went to pieces”, and signed off with a level-par 72 to finish in a tie for 27th on level-par, three better than Scott Jamieson after his 73.

“I don’t think I’ll go tomorrow, one too much I think,” said Warren of the US Open qualifier. “I need to concentrate on what I’m doing here [on the European Tour] first.”