Inconsistency is Monty's major concern

COLIN MONTGOMERIE heads for the final major of the year later this week worried by the inconsistency plaguing his game.

Montgomerie fired his best score of the week in the final round of the Scandinavian Masters on Sunday, but a closing 66 was nowhere near good enough to retain his title.

Rounds of 70, 69, 74 and 66 left the Scot on five under par and in a tie for 25th place, nine shots behind eventual winner Graeme McDowell.

It means the former European number one has gone a full 12 months without winning a title, and time is running out for him to maintain his proud record of having won at least twice every season since 1993.

And the 39-year-old Scot admitted he was perplexed by the current state of his game, which has seen him produce rounds of 64 and 84 on consecutive days at the Open and flashes of his best quickly followed by uncharacteristic errors.

‘‘I had four eagle putts which all could have easily dropped on Sunday in Stockholm but not one did,’’ said Montgomerie as he prepared to travel to Hazeltine for the USPGA championship.

‘‘But it’s better, at least it gives me something to go with. I changed a few things on the range, talked to Dennis Pugh, (his coach) on Saturday night.

‘‘But it’s not quite there. The inconsistency is worrying. But I’d be more worried if it was all 74s and 75s, but it’s not. There is the odd 64 and 65 in there as well.

‘‘The last three events for example. Loch Lomond I shot 65, the Open I shot 64 and here a 66. There is something there but it’s just not consistent in the way it used to be.

‘‘I used to put three of them together and my bad round was 69, that was why I was top of the Order of Merit for so long.’’