Glasses fail to fire Faldo up the field

NICK FALDO saw golf in a new light yesterday but it did not make him play any better. Wearing glasses in a tournament for the first time in his life, he managed only a three over par 75 at the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Heidelberg.

Wearing glasses in a tournament for the first time in his life, the 46-year-old managed only a three over par 75 at the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Heidelberg.

It left Faldo needing a massive improvement to avoid suffering a third successive missed cut something that has never happened to him in a European tour career totalling nearly 360 events since 1976.

"I've had the glasses for about a year, but it was only yesterday that I decided to go with them here," said the six-time major winner, who has still to decide whether to enter the qualifying tournament for next month's US Open.

"I spoke to my 'putting and eyeballs man' and he told me to try them. I've been really struggling to read the lines recently.

"For the first hour it was dreadful like putting on top of a saucer and although it's feeling better now I didn't hole a thing out there."

With his chances of a record 12th Ryder Cup cap fading fast he decided not to campaign for the captaincy in the hope of playing but lies 70th in the points table Faldo is even toying with the idea of switching to a long putter.

And that in spite of the fact that he agrees with Ernie Els that they should be banned.

"I'm amazed it's not been done," he said. "You'd think it would be an easy one for the ruling body to say that you can't anchor a club against your body.

"I think they left it as a sympathy vote for all those who were suffering, but now youngsters are going to them. I'm in the process of trying them, but have not got comfortable with one yet. Who knows? It might not be long."

Meanwhile Colin Montgomerie is a step nearer having to qualify for the British Open at his home club Royal Troon in July.

After a birdie and eagle in his first three holes Montgomerie crashed to a three over par 75.

And that increases the likelihood of him falling out of the world's top 50 this week and missing out on an Open exemption. The Scot, who on his last visit to the St Leon-Rot course two years ago lost a play-off to Tiger Woods, had three double bogeys in an inward 41.

His presence in next month's US Open is also in doubt. Next week's Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth is that event's cut-off point for the world's top 50 and Montgomerie currently stands 50th.