Montgomerie ready to try for US Open spot

COLIN Montgomerie says he has not given up hope of making yet another challenge for the US Open, the event which has given him more heartbreak than any other.

A year after pulling out of the qualifying at Walton Heath, and currently ranked down at 322nd in the world the 46-year-old Ryder Cup captain said: "Yes I'll be at Walton Heath (for qualifying]. I wasn't playing well last year but now I have my passion back."

Runner-up in the US Open three times, Montgomerie, who is currently playing in the Spanish Open, has not secured a top ten finish since the French Open in 2008 so will be hoping for a high finish in Seville to boost his belief that he can compete at Pebble Beach. However, at halfway he lies eight shots behind leader Johan Edfors of Sweden after late dropped shots saw him shoot a second-round 71 and a two-under-par total.

Edfors goes into the weekend ten under par and one ahead of England's Mark Foster and little known Spaniard Sebi Garcia-Grout, who is ranked only 1,272nd in the world.

Foster was round in 66, making birdies at four of his last five holes.

Overnight leader Ricardo Gonzalez crashed to a 79 and, along with Darren Clarke, survived the cut with nothing to spare on level-par.

Of the other Scots involved, David Drysdale is tied for sixth, just three off the lead, after a second-round 67, with Richie Ramsay (72) and Paul Lawrie (67) both on three-under. Steven O'Hara (71) is one behind Montgomerie while Gary Orr (72), Peter Whiteford (71), Stephen Gallacher (68) and Marc Warren (73) all made the cut on level-par.