Monty determined to look after number one
However, Monty yesterday served notice he is determined nobody is going to prevent him winning the European Tour order of merit for the eighth time and the first since 1999.
Montgomerie is clearly back to the kind of form that made him such an irrepressible force throughout the 1990s as he coasted round Valderrama in four under par 66, making light of the inevitable pressure of defending his order of merit lead and at the same time rendering the task of his only rival, the New Zealander Michael Campbell, well nigh impossible.
Campbell went into the tournament 153,487 behind Monty at the top of the money list and is already five shots adrift of the Scot.
Montgomerie is tied for the overnight lead with Poulter and one ahead of the formidable trio of Olazabal, Donald and Garcia.
Only two others, the Swede Robert Karlsson and England’s Stephen Webster managed to break 70 throughout a warm and calm day. There is no doubting now that his marital collapse had a debilitating affect on
Montgomerie’s golf for a number of years but those troubles are now all in the past and this enigmatic man looks as content as he ever has.
Yesterday’s 66 contained an eagle two at the 8th, where he holed out a wedge from 111 yards, and five birdies, including a very satisfying one at the 18th.
He reckoned the birdie at the opening hole was, if anything, more important than the eagle, while he confirmed that he was also keeping an eye on his playing partner: “You try to play your own game and you don’t want to get into a match-play situation, but of course you’re aware of what your partner is doing, and I suppose I’m more interested in Michael’s play than I would be normally.
"That’s human nature.
“I managed to birdie the 18th and he bogeyed it but I’m here to try and win the Volvo Masters. That birdie put me in a tie for the lead this evening and I’m proud of that.”
It’s not always easy to follow Monty’s logic, especially when he insisted: “This is now a forgotten round and we’re all equal tomorrow. After I leave here, it’s completely forgotten. There’ll be no talk about golf tonight and I’ll come back and try to do my job tomorrow.”
For Campbell, an uphill task has now become an Everest-style hike, although he’s not entirely ruling out the possibility of a big turnaround: “All credit to Monty, he played great today. But I’m only a few shots behind him and we have three rounds to go and anything can happen, especially on this golf course.
"The 17th can produce a few doubles and triples. It’s a very fickle golf course. I’ve just got to be patient and come out firing tomorrow.”
For now, though, the chief threat to Montgomerie comes from Poulter, the defending champion, a man imbued with remarkable self-confidence.
“I’m buzzing to get out there and I’m going to win it,” he said before play began yesterday.
The omens are certainly good. He arrived here in 22nd place in the money list without a win to his credit. He was in virtually the same position twelve months ago and he came through in style to maintain his record of at least one victory for every year on tour.
“I love playing this golf course,” he said. “I felt very comfortable out there yesterday and even more so today. I hit the ball very, very solid and had only one blemish, a three putt from the fringe of the green at the 5th.
"I am already four better than I was at this stage last year. I’ve won every year on tour and like last year, I’ve no other option than to win this week.
“I guess it’s a lesson I’ve got to learn every single week that I have to win the golf tournament. I’m sure Tiger does every week.
"His expectations are very, very high and I’m sure a lot of people could learn from that. I really don’t care on Monday morning what the newspaper headlines say, whether Monty wins or Campbell wins.
"I don’t want to get involved in their little battle this week. I’m just worrying about myself. That might sound a little selfish but it’s not.”
Luke Donald partners Poulter in the English team for next month’s World Cup at Villamoura, Portugal, and it looks like they will have a very strong hand there. Donald’s game is tailor-made for Valderrama and he proved the point with yesterday’s solid 68.
Like Poulter, though, he has yet to actually win a tournament this season. He arrived here on Monday straight from his home in Chicago and last night enthused: “Valderrama is a course I can do well on. You have to position the ball well off the tee and if you do that, you can start attacking the course.”
Olazabal says he is a lot more relaxed as a result of his victory in Majorca at the weekend, although he conceded: “You have to stay focused and really give your best here, otherwise this course will eat you alive.”
Garcia bogeyed the 18th to drop out of a share of the lead but has the flair to bounce back.
The four birdies in his back nine underlined the point graphically.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
