Golf: Monty looks to make his mark

Colin Montgomerie asks only one thing of the Open at Lytham in a fortnight. He wants to do himself justice.

After winning the Irish Open last Sunday, Montgomerie was looking to continue his revival today in the second round of the European Open at the K Club near Dublin.

At four under par after an opening 68, the 38-year-old Scot was only one behind the five overnight leaders - New Zealander Michael Campbell, Italian Massimo Scarpa, Norwegian Henrik Bjornstad, Swede Mikael Lundberg and Dutchman Maarten Lafeber.

While trying to win the massive £333,330 first prize is his immediate priority, Montgomerie needs no telling that coming up are the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond and then the really big one.

Only once has the world number nine finished in the top 10 at an Open - eighth at Turnberry in 1994 - and five missed cuts scar his record.

‘‘I’ve only played the Open once at Lytham and I went home on Friday afternoon,’’ he said.

That was 1996 and it was another bitter disappointment because he had just won the Irish Open then as well.

‘‘It’s a very good course and one that should suit me. But at the same time I’d rather be Tom Lehman arriving there than myself,’’ added Monty.

‘‘That’s the only time I’d like to be Tom Lehman!’’

The American, cast as a villain of the 1999 Ryder Cup, won his one major title at Lytham.

‘‘I do like links golf and I think it is just purely coincidenta - hopefully it is anyway that I haven’t performed well on them,’’ said Montgomerie.

‘‘I did shoot 64 at Carnoustie (in the Scottish Open, not Open) and I’ve had my good days. But I’ve just had more bad ones.

‘‘Let’s hope I can turn it round because my record has not been good.’’

An article speculating on whether Montgomerie ought to go on playing when he had not been in contention has been revealed as one of the spurs for the seven-time European number one in Cork last week.

‘‘It said I shouldn’t go down the route of a few players that are still playing and not playing as well (Seve Ballesteros and Sandy Lyle come to mind) and I felt quite hurt by that to be honest,’’ said the Scot.

‘‘Hopefully I’ve proved that wrong and hopefully will continue to do so. I am hopefully just coming into my best period of golf.

‘‘I don’t think I’m playing my best yet, because if I thought I had then I wouldn’t be here.’’