Golf: Monty finds his form

Six birdies in a front-nine 30 brought Colin Montgomerie roaring back in the Victor Chandler British Masters at Woburn.

In a tale of two halves, the seven-time European number one was down at two over par early in his opening round of the £1.25m event.

But when he turned to the outward half it was a totally different story, and when he finished in fitting style with a 40-foot putt for a four-under 68 Montgomerie was part of a five-way tie for the lead.

Alongside him in the clubhouse was Swindon's David Howell, while still out on the course were Sheffield's Malcolm Mackenzie, 48-year-old Irishman Eamonn Darcy and Australian Wayne Riley.

It could have been even better. The Scot hit a superb second to the 538-yard seventh but from five feet failed to match the eagle achieved moments before by Ian Woosnam.

The Welshman finished three under, while new Volvo PGA champion Andrew Oldcorn and Ulsterman Darren Clarke were two under.

Montgomerie had double-bogeyed the 343-yard 12th, but Howell also showed it was possible to recover from such a setback.

He dropped two strokes on the 425-yard fourth, but birdied three of the next five to set the target for the rest of the field.

Darcy, who lost his tour card last season, was only one under at the turn, but then birdied the 10th, 11th and 15th.

Mackenzie, a 150/1 outsider just as Oldcorn was last week, turned in 33 and reached four under by grabbing another birdie at the 374-yard 10th.

Former Australian and Scottish Open champion Riley, himself quoted at 125/1 by the on-course bookmakers and tournament sponsors, had reached six under after 11 holes, but then came a hat-trick of bogeys from the 12th and he needed a birdie at the long 15th to get back to top spot.

Oldcorn was bunkered on the ninth, his last, and after splashing out to seven feet he missed the par putt and so had to be content with a 71.