Golf: Club golfers call to back charity medal

COLIN Montgomerie may be about to spread the word in America about his bid to build two cancer care centres – one in Aberdeen and the other in Lanarkshire – in memory of his late mother but he’s also looking for support closer to home.

Launched last year, he is hoping Monty’s Monthly Medal, an event for club golfers held in conjunction with the Scottish Golf Union and Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association, will go from strength to strength.

Sixty clubs in Scotland took part last year but a stipulation that a qualifying event had to be held on the weekend of the Open Championship has been lifted. Instead, it can now be staged at any time from March until 22 July in the hope that more of the 500-plus affiliated clubs in Scotland will run qualifiers alongside existing medals.

For an entry of just £3, members would then have the chance of being among 72 players who will join Montgomerie at the final on 20 August, with negotiations ongoing for a venue. Proceeds from the event will go towards the Maggie’s Centre project in Lanarkshire, which is just £200,000 short of its overall target of £1 million.

“The feedback I got from the players who took part in the final last year was fantastic,” said Montgomerie, who set up the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation as a legacy to his late mother, who died of cancer 21 years ago.

Immediately after next month’s Masters, Montgomerie is also hosting a two-day fundraiser at East Lake in Atlanta. Details of how clubs can take part in Monty’s Monthly Medal can be found on the SGU’s website at www.scottishgolf.org.