Monty's pass on pro-am ahead of British Masters

COLIN MONTGOMERIE will be notable by his absence when the eve-of-tournament pro-am for the British Masters takes place at the Forest of Arden near Coventry today.

Less than a week after announcing that he and his wife were separating and planning to divorce, the Ryder Cup star has been given permission by the European tour to miss the celebrity-packed pro-am.

"This has been a desperately difficult decision for us both and is a painful time for the family," said the couple in their statement before asking for privacy and dismissing media speculation that had linked Eimear with actor Hugh Grant, Montgomerie's pro-am partner in the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland last October.