Struggler Monty ln Col-lapse

Jul 20 2008 Brian Mcsweeney

THIRD-ROUND Saturday at The Open. It's called moving day. For Colin Montgomerie the only thing that moved were his odds on winning a first Major.

Monty toiled in the nightmare conditions at Birkdale yesterday as the winds off the Ribble Estuary relentlessly battered the Merseyside coastline.

Apart from a brief flirtation in the spotlight on Thursday morning Monty has yet again spectacularly failed to get his Open bid off the ground.

Yesterday's miserable 74, to leave him on 12 over, summed up his week.

Missed putts, bogeys and tiny flashes of the brilliance that still ensure he has one of the biggest followings on tour.

But as the years advance sadly those moments of genius are starting to only appear in Montgomerie's rear-view mirror.

The 16th yesterday was a microcosm of the Monty we know and desperately want to love.

Leaden skies, a growling wind ruffling his big jowels and the Scot screwed an awful drive 30 yards off the fairway into deep stuff. Deep stuff, deep trouble.

But Monty melted the ball out of the anklehigh grass and plopped it three feet from the pin then holed out for his only birdie of the day. There's the flash of genius the galleries had been starved of since he teed up at five past nine when the wind wasn't so strong and the mood wasn't so desperate.

After bogeying the last when he failed to save par from the greenside right-hand bunker Monty trudged off the 18th knowing he only has Ryder Cup points to play for today.

Like the par-three seventh, Monty's afters were short and sweet.

Smiling as he walked up to the Press room he took 41 seconds to sum up 74 strokes.

Monty said: "I was three over after seven. I made one birdie out of the heavy rough at 16. But it was average.

"The course was playable today, you could see that, but it was an average score."

Montgomerie refused to blame the wind for his collapse but did admit he's still haunted by his horror third round at Muirfield in 2002 when an 84 in howling wind and rain ended his Open hopes.

Monty said: "This wasn't the worst I've played in. Muirfield 2002 when I was went out second last, that was worse.

"I'll never beat that." Monty's pairing with Swede Henrik Stenson united the last twomen to hole the winning putt for Europe at the Ryder Cup in 2006 and 2004.

So it's ironic both found themselves in the same position of having only vital qualifying points to play for.

Stenson is also on the fringes of the 10 automatic qualifying spots. But another good day like he had yesterday - when he tamed the wind to shoot an impressive level-par 70 and remain on eight over - could take him a huge step towards Valhalla.

And he hopes Monty is there with him when the big biennial clash with the USA gets under way in September.

Stenson said: "I liked playing with Monty as always. I really enjoy his company and he brings quite a few extra spectators so there's a few more than just my family.

"He had a great week a fortnight ago in France. He loves the Ryder Cup more than anybody and I like it too so I'll try my best to be there and I hope he is with me.

"He has great experience so would be a natural leader for the team. If you do well in this tournament you get a lot of Ryder Cup points and I am close to the edge of the team so I'm sticking to my game and hoping to get the couple of good weeks I need during summer.

"It's hard to think about being in contention for The Open when you start right down in the 50s but that was a good score to post.

"I'm sure I'll be moving up quite a few spots that will give me a chance if I can finish off strong tomorrow.

"But that would take something spectacular. It was a great grinding performance, I made some Houdini saves on 11 and 12 and hung in there all day.

"It's fighting golf from everyone out there and I'm happy with my attitude."

Although delighted with his round Stenson was kicking himself for a blip at the 16th that could have put him in the mix today.

The Swede hit a double bogey six and admits that was his only hiccup.

He said: "I only had one bad hole and that was on 16 when I double bogeyed after being in the middle of the fairway off the tee.

"I was so unhappy with that one but the rest of my round was great in those conditions."