Monty chasing £1.25m pay-day

COLIN Montgomerie is among 30 players chasing golf’s biggest winner’s purse – in an unsanctioned event teeing off today in China.

The Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters, which also features world No 2 Lee Westwood and third-ranked Rory McIlroy as well as Padraig Harrington, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey, offers a record first prize of £1.25million.

The glitzy event is the latest exhibition in China to attract some of the game’s biggest names but, as an unsanctioned event, it carries no rankings points for the players, leading to criticism of “vanity” projects.

But tournament organisers strongly defended the event, which has strong backing from Chinese golfing authorities and the government.

“We have ten Chinese players and three Korean players in the tournament flying the flag for Asia.,” said a tournament spokesman.

“These events give rare opportunities to Chinese and Asian players to go up against the game’s best players.”